Prince William and Old Cleveland Road at Belmont Prince Harry were famously close as children, but a rift in adulthood has left the pair estranged.
Next year will mark 30 years since the tragic death of their mother, Princess Diana, and royal watchers had hoped the milestone would bring the brothers back together.
However, reports suggest the brothers are planning to commemorate the anniversary in markedly different ways.
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Prince Harry is understood to be discussing a number of projects to honour Diana’s life and legacy, while Prince William has reportedly declined several offers to appear in documentary tributes to his late mother.
According to the UK’s Sunday Times, William’s decision is partly motivated by a desire to “avoid a potential further conflict with his brother”.
“It is understood that William wants to avoid a situation where he and Harry, who remain estranged, are ‘pitted against each other’ during film-making,” the publication claimed.
While the reports claim William remains hesitant to participate in the projects, Harry is expected to mark the milestone with a Netflix-produced documentary.
The Sunday Times reported those close to William believe the upcoming anniversary will be “a difficult situation for him” with the future king said to remain “really emotional” about his mother’s death.
The publication also claimed William’s decision is partly influenced by the fallout surrounding the controversial memoir about Diana written by his uncle, Charles Spencer.
“He had little advance warning about his uncle’s book, which is highly critical of the King and other members of the royal family,” the Sunday Times reported.
Spencer, meanwhile, has claimed Harry is “completely fine” with the memoir.
The earl has made a series of claims about King Charles in his new book titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
In his most shocking allegation, he claims Charles said “we’ll forget her soon enough” following Diana’s tragic death, igniting a public battle with Buckingham Palace.
A palace spokesman said the King is “mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise”.
When asked by People magazine whether he had discussed the book with William and Harry, Spencer said: “I can say that Harry is completely fine about it.”
“He said, I hope there’s nothing embarrassing about him in it. I said, ‘There isn’t’,” Spencer claimed.
“It’s natural that people so in the public eye are concerned how they will come across in the book.
“But I could reassure both of them that they’re of course in the book, but really as examples of two little boys who had the most exceptional mother. I’m not in any way compromising their privacy at all.”
Princess Diana died on 31 August 1997 in Paris, when William was 15 and Harry was 12.
Before their estrangement, William and Harry came together at Kensington Palace’s White Garden in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of their mum’s death.
