Prince William ‘Not Prepared’ to Let Prince Harry’s Attacks on Princess Kate Slide, Biographer Reveals
While Prince William has long weathered public scrutiny and media speculation directed at himself, criticisms leveled against Catherine, Princess of Wales, crossed an unbridgeable line, according to royal author Robert Jobson. Speaking with HELLO! following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relocation to the United Kingdom, the author of The Windsor Legacy explained that the Prince of Wales took particular issue with Prince Harry airing grievances about Kate when institutional protocol prevented her from answering back.
“I don’t think that went down too well,” Jobson noted regarding William’s reaction to the fallout from Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare, and the couple’s Netflix docuseries. “I think he could take a lot of things being said about him, but he wasn’t prepared to have things said about her when she’s not in a position to answer back.” The brothers, who have not maintained direct communication for over two years, now find their households sharing British geographic territory once again.
The Core Grievances Detailed in ‘Spare’
Although Harry initially described Kate in his memoir as “the sister I’d always wanted,” his narrative went on to document acute domestic frictions that arose between Kate and Meghan Markle starting around 2018:
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The Bridesmaid Dress Clash: Harry alleged that Kate insisted Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid gown be completely remade days before the royal wedding, leaving Meghan in tears on the floor before Kate offered an apology and flowers the following morning.
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The “Hormones” and “Baby Brain” Confrontation: During a tea to clear the air, tensions flared when Kate confronted Meghan for attributing her postpartum forgetfulness to “baby brain” after the birth of Prince Louis, firmly stating they were not close enough to discuss her hormones.
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The Lip Gloss Incident: A perceived awkwardness when Meghan asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss prior to a Fab Four forum appearance was framed by Harry as an early sign of contrasting styles and underlying distance.
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Early Incompatibility: Promoting the book in 2023, Harry conceded to ITV’s Tom Bradby that William and Kate had struggled to gel with Meghan almost from the very beginning.
Rising Above the Circus: Waleses Avoid a Media Tit-for-Tat
Despite the physical proximity of having both households operating within the United Kingdom, Jobson emphasized that William and Catherine have no intention of engaging in public retaliations or competing narratives.
Rather than responding to any surrounding media noise, the Prince and Princess of Wales remain focused on institutional duties, major official engagements, and protecting their family routine. “I think they’re going to rise above all this,” Jobson stated. “I don’t think they’re going to be involved in a tit-for-tat… They’ll probably think, well, we’ve been down this road before; it creates a circus, and we’re not going to get involved.”