Harry and William's Relationship


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Those William haters should also be looking at him for possible regicide in the future as Charles stated at his wedding that he would push his wheelchair off a cliff. ?


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Here is the show:

Thank you for the link, Roslyn. :flowers: I watched the show in the wee hours as a result.

William's comment about Harry taking food was unnecessary. Harry looked upset by this comment. I think it was natural that Harry came over for meals.

Hi, Queen Camilla! :flowers: I saw something different at that moment and I watched closely precisely because of your comment. If you re-watch the tape, you will see that when Harry faces forward there is actually an amused look on his face, he is smiling. What we see initially is a bit of the 'play'. They are in 'jokey mode'.

It is extremely unlikely (imo) that either of these young men (especially Harry) will be anything but 'on' when the cameras are rolling. They are working with Ant and Dec after all, too.

BTW (a bit of an aside) I have this hunch that William is a bit like his grandmother, the Queen, who can look really scowling with her face in repose. I heard this commented on once by someone about the Queen. She has to be conscious about her face. I think William is the same. His face in repose has a stern look.

The program finished shooting around mid September. Harry probably had just arrived from Africa or had only been back a week or so and probably had not restocked his refrigerator and was coming over for a few meals at the Cambridge household until he settled back into life in London.

It's a charming tableau but I think William et al were already at Anmer by then. I also think it is more likely Harry slipped over to Clarence House for some snacks (if he had to, wanted to). I think William was just making a game, playing into the romantic notion people have.

A single guy living alone and who had been away for three months is not going to have food in his refrigerator so going to his brother's house who lives in the same complex is what most normal people would do.

Harry is not a normal guy. He is wealthy. His household, be it servants from his father's house or grandmother's, would have known when he was returning and made sure all was ready. (My turn for spinning). First night back, he would have been all set to eat whatever, and watch the telly in peace, alone, or with that secret girlfriend. :flowers:

I do not know how much household staff Harry employs, if any.

Quite so, but I'd make a wager he is well tended. :flowers:

Harry could drive two miles to Clarence House for his meals, but I believe Clarence House does not have a kitchen. In QEQM's day, she received all her meals from Buckingham Palace. Harry could drive to BP for his meals or just have carryout.

Charles had Clarence House significantly upgraded before he moved in after the QEQM's death. He would have put in one kitchen at least, methinks. My understanding is Charles does significant entertaining. If anything, I could see Harry showing up for one of those meals. :flowers: Better than take-out. :p

I will place a bet, that after William's comment, Harry was no longer going over to Apt 1A for his meal.

I would bet equally that Harry never goes over there except when invited. ;) It's a very innocuous joke.

Overall, I found the interview with the two sons in keeping with an Ant and Dec 'mode': a bit frenetic. :p William was incredibly expansive, as was Charles. Charles is very natural (the effect of Camilla, I have always thought, she probably convinced him way-back in their marriage that the more Charles showed of his natural self the more accessible and likable he would be on camera, and that is certainly true). William has taken a cue from Charles (maybe) because he as well was presenting with exceptional ease and naturalness. Well done.

Both men seem very much Charles in their manner and humor. Probably a great deal of their grandfather Prince Philip, too, is in their humor. Philip, as we all know, can be a bit biting.

What puzzled me is their continuing failure to take an interest in their father's Trust. This is not the first time Charles has mentioned his hope on camera. Harry is the perfect candidate for the job. Hope he steps up. It's clear that Charles' work load is shifting, and he needs the Trust to be taken up by someone.
 
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Gosh, I wouldn't want to be the sort of person whose refrigerator was not appealing enough to be raided by my friends and family!
 
Re: Lack of interest in Prince's Trust

Maybe they want to follow their own path and develop their own ideas to help people and the world instead of just filling in for their father. The Prince's trust is well established now and can survive without a direct Royal involvement in needed.


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One thing I've learned over the many moons on this earth is the difference between being a guest and being part of a family. A guest will always wait until someone offers them a beer. Family just goes and gets one for themselves and oh... is that a turkey leg in there? Ah... I could use one of those too. I really don't think any of them, Charles, William, Harry, Kate or whomever feel like a guest in each other's homes but there's always a sense of familial familiarity that is a bond that families share.

I think the classic "joke" mode that the brothers engage in with each other is something very special between the two of them and, to me, it indicates how close they really are. They also take after their father in this respect. Who can forget when asked what his reaction was to W&K's engagement, Charles replies "Well... they've been practicing long enough!". Charles would never dream of cracking that kind of statement for someone that wasn't close to him and family.

I agree with Skippyboo about Will and Harry's interest in the Prince's Trust. They're making their own mark on the world with their own Royal Foundation which encompasses areas that each is personally passionate about. Who knows? In time, the Prince's Trust just may change to the King's Trust and after Charles passes, The King Charles Memorial Trust. He's created quite a legacy with his involvement in these projects and I think its fitting that they remain as a monumental organization that has helped so many. Just my thoughts on it.
 
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I’m surprised that people are able to tell how Harry felt about the "scrounging food" comment, since the camera shot of him was so quick. Throughout the interview the brothers were at ease and happy, yet that 2-second moment seems to be used to sum up their entire relationship.

William and Harry tease each other all the time. Harry used to joke about William’s bald spot and has stated on several occasions that William wasn’t cool. That’s the type of relationship they have. Even people that have interviewed them, say that that off-camera, they tease one another constantly.

An excellent summary of the brothers' relationship and well-known banter IMHO.
 
Gosh, I wouldn't want to be the sort of person whose refrigerator was not appealing enough to be raided by my friends and family!

Different families have different ways. :flowers: With a lot of younger siblings, different habits develop, but this I know, no one's fridge is a free-for-all. It's an extension of the pantry and one always asks, guest or not.

However, my point is made, this is an embellishment that 'plays well' to the public. Creates that sense of 'like us'. Whether it's true or not, who knows. :flowers:

Re: Lack of interest in Prince's Trust

Maybe they want to follow their own path and develop their own ideas to help people and the world instead of just filling in for their father. The Prince's trust is well established now and can survive without a direct Royal involvement in needed.

Maybe I'd accept that rationale in a Joe Blow (Common Man) household, maybe. Generally the interests and work of our parents are of interest to us and we carry them on one way or another. More so in this case because so much is institutional obligation for them, and this is a familial achievement, nothing to sneeze at. That they do not appear interested remains an oddity to my mind, given their father's expressed wish.

BTW I am a bit puzzled: it is stated in the video that Ant and Dec will be traveling with Charles for a year, yet the show is described as a 'one off'. So what is happening? A year long documentary is being made, or not?
 
:previous: I took it that show was the culmination of the one year association with Ant and Dec, hence the comment by Charles at the end about hoping one of his sons would take an interest.

As for the refrigerator issue, I think there is a lot of variation between families. No way did I ever regard my mother's refrigerator as fair game after I left home, and I would never have dreamed of going to my brother/sister-in-law's refrigerator without asking. I would have been astonished if they had opened mine and started eating things from it without an invitation.
 
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:previous: I took it that show was the culmination of the one year association with Ant and Dec, hence the comment by Charles at the end about hoping one of his sons would take an interest.

As for the refrigerator issue, I think there is a lot of variation between families. No way did I ever regard my mother's refrigerator as fair game after I left home, and I would never have dreamed of going to my brother/sister-in-law's refrigerator without asking. I would have been astonished if they had opened mine and started eating things from it without an invitation.
And that is totally ok. It doesn't mean that your family is not close. But in mine, it's fair game. Maybe you half-ask as in "this chicken is not saved for something, is it?", but it's free for family. Different families :)
 
And that is totally ok. It doesn't mean that your family is not close. But in mine, it's fair game. Maybe you half-ask as in "this chicken is not saved for something, is it?", but it's free for family. Different families :)

That's how my family is too. In fact, my grandmother will take it as a slight if you don't take something to eat or drink. My uncle, who lives in a flat below my grandparents, has a habit of coming upstairs and grabbing whatever he wants without any ceremony. Now, I on the other hand, will ALWAYS ask if I can have something. It's just my way of doing things. I don't feel comfortable just taking things without asking if I'm not in my own home. If Harry feels comfortable going into his brother and sister-in-law's fridge, more power to him. I'm sure if such behavior was unwelcome, something would be said. Neither William nor Harry strike me as a type of person to let things fester. As for the constant ribbing, I'd imagine it's just how they're with each other. There's no malice in the interactions. No need to make drama where there's none.



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In my family it depends on whose house. My mom and dad, if it is me or my sister, if we're hungry, go get something, don't ask or expect service. My sister and brother in law I would never in a thousand years presume to go in their fridge without asking. My aunts if they have us over for dinner will basically say help yourself to a drink, but that's it. With the exception of my one aunt who I lived with for a half year and house sit for all the time. She treats me like my mom does, if I am hungry, I know where the food is. Grandma would be insulted if anyone asked, her fridge and cupboards open to all. As kids we always knew where the treats cupboards are.
 
In my family it depends on whose house. My mom and dad, if it is me or my sister, if we're hungry, go get something, don't ask or expect service. My sister and brother in law I would never in a thousand years presume to go in their fridge without asking. My aunts if they have us over for dinner will basically say help yourself to a drink, but that's it. With the exception of my one aunt who I lived with for a half year and house sit for all the time. She treats me like my mom does, if I am hungry, I know where the food is. Grandma would be insulted if anyone asked, her fridge and cupboards open to all. As kids we always knew where the treats cupboards are.
Haha, yeah. My grandma get a bit "insulted" if I ask if I can take some milk. She looks at me like "What monster do you think I am, would I say no?!" :p
 
:previous: An interesting article. I read about it on a DK news site. (They pretty much copy/paste from Daily Mail!)

I think firstly that the protection officer was way out of line for even talking about this! If it's possible he should be hit hard on the head with the fattest volume of the Official Secret's Act it's possible to find!

I also think the protection officer is very biased. He obviously like Harry. Which is fine, so do I, but it's not a objective assessment IMO.
While Harry arguably has a way with people, that does not necessarily make him the best king. Just look at his great-grandfather!

As for the press treating W&H very fairly - well, that's debatable.
I don't think it's out of consideration of W&H's baby-blue eyes, but rather because the press is reluctant to face the wrath of their readers.
To many if not most people, it's still the press that was ultimately responsible for Diana's death, regardless of what our protection officer here say.
One death was bad enough. But hounding Diana's children as well? - There are fanatics out there who might go to extremes in protection of W&H...
 
According to Wharfe, William used to hide his cereal bowl and wouldn't play with Wharfe's walkie-talkie. Clearly William isn't fit to be king. :p

As for Harry being more like Diana, I'm not sure that is a good thing, at least going by Wharfe's portrayals of Diana.

At best he describes Diana as being slightly unhinged and at worst, being non compos mentis.

Diana would be disgusted with what Wharfe is doing.
 
:previous: An interesting article. I read about it on a DK news site. (They pretty much copy/paste from Daily Mail!)

I think firstly that the protection officer was way out of line for even talking about this! If it's possible he should be hit hard on the head with the fattest volume of the Official Secret's Act it's possible to find!

They don't sign the Official Secret's Act to not tell stories about the love life and upbringing of the royal children. These aren't state secrets.

I am not even sure if someone such as a royal protection officer would even be required to sign it. If they did it wouldn't be to stop them revealing things like this but things that affect the security of the nation and talking about someone who has been dead for nearly 20 years and boys who were children under 10 when he knew them doesn't qualify.

He is still a sleeze but I don't see that he has done anything illegal at all - disgusting yes but illegal no.
 
:previous: A pity. In many other countries, including DK, he (and the publisher) could look forward to time in prison. - Not to mention breaching the laws on privacy.

If you can't trust your protection officers to keep their big mouths shut, who can you trust?
 
I believe I read something about royal household staff signing some form of contract to not discuss the family (possibly only relates to the Queen's household as Burrell didn't hold back?)

Reading the above article, there's nothing really shocking there, more an opinion on the characters ..... not that anyone would want that put forward into the public domain either!

William being described as "a bit wet" "a bit difficult" and "shy" as a child will definitely not sit well along with the opinion he should "get over" the media!

Is this type of stuff even briefed to the people in question?!
 
Don't know why people are paying this guy any attention. Sales for his book is all he care about. Of course the DM would be happy to help him.
 
In his defense, isn't this character assesment not what a lot of the people have been thinking and/or saying?
 
In his defense, isn't this character assesment not what a lot of the people have been thinking and/or saying?

Is it?

Not that's it's a popularity contest but I have seen a lot of opinion polls regarding the BRF and I've seen a lot of polls saying William should become the next king after the death of the Queen. I've never seen any poll to suggest people want Harry to become king.

I was 'difficult' and 'shy' at times as kid but grew up to be a responsible adult.

Ken Wharfe has had no contact with William or Harry for 20 years.
 
He actually also describes William as sly.

Haven't there been polls though that Harry is the most popular member and people would prefer him as King? Because I feel like there have been quite a few.
 
Is it?

Not that's it's a popularity contest but I have seen a lot of opinion polls regarding the BRF and I've seen a lot of polls saying William should become the next king after the death of the Queen. I've never seen any poll to suggest people want Harry to become king.


I agree.
Moreover, any time Harry is mentioned, there are people who bring up Hewitt and insist he's Harry's biological father. (Even though the only resemblance is their coloring).

But there will always be people who believe it; I used to read comments saying that if Harry were ever to become king, people would be entitled to demand a public DNA test!
 
Harry is always up there in the popularity polls with the Queen, William, Kate, as most popular Royal. Pollsters wouldn't ask the question about Harry being preferable as King as they know such a thing is constitutionally impossible anyway. Nor do I believe that Harry would want the job.

People believe, or pretend they believe, all sorts of things that aren't true, and the Harry Hewitt thing only turns up occasionally now in comments on online tabs like the Daily Fail.

Ken Wharfe's entitled to his opinion, for what it's worth. However, as I wrote on the Charles and Diana thread, Diana has been dead for nearly twenty years and Wharfe hasn't seen her sons for about a quarter of a century. So I really think it's about time he just shut up about his life in Royal service. I've heard most of it before anyway.
 
so why do people give him the Oxygen of publicity? I would never have bougtht his book. I did read some of it, a library copy when it came out, but I felt that it was totally biased and it was wrong of him to do it.
Whether techcniclaly illegal or not, it was a betrayal of trust and what is expected of people who work in jobs like PPO..
Like Jephson, I think he left Di's service with a grudge against her.. and wrote a rather nasty book.. Then, as time passed both of thtem have had to think of new angles, or perhaps felt that there was a time when "crticical stories of Diana sold" (as a reacton to the very adoring coverage that she had had soon after her death), had now passed and he should find some new way of packaging his "story". So Wharfe is now talking about W and harry whom he hasn't seen for decades and who both IIRC criticised him for his first book. I certianly would not read it again, I bought a paper the other day and found that the book was serialised in it, so I ditched the paper...
He has nothing new to say, he is wrong in writing a book at all and he's clearly talking a load of nonsense about most things...
 
Ugh, what a horrible man! This is actually the first I've heard of him. It amazes me there aren't, (or apparently weren't, at that time), iron clad confidentiality agreements to be signed prior to starting work for the royal family.

Harry has always seemed more superficially charming and open than his brother. I get the feeling that, with Harry, what you see is what you get for the most part. Of course, I'm sure a lot of us know people who are lots of fun at a party but nowhere to be found when things get rough, (and to be clear, I'm not saying Harry seems like that, just pointing out that charm isn't always an indication of good character). Harry also hasn't had the intensity and level of scrutiny and expectation that William has had from birth - Harry has much more leeway to make mistakes.

I get the feeling William never completely relaxes unless he's in private with close family or very close friends. With everyone else - protection officers, for example - there's probably a line that doesn't get crossed. Given the amount of attention and intrusions on their privacy that the family has had to deal with that's probably smart.
 
Non disclosure agreements

I believe I read something about royal household staff signing some form of contract to not discuss the family (possibly only relates to the Queen's household as Burrell didn't hold back?)

If I remember correctly, Burrell's books were at first only published in the US because of an NDA.

There was a period in the late 70's when some ex servants went to press and the palace made everyone start signing nda's.

But the truth is that nda's are not worth the paper they are written on as they are only enforceable in the country they are drawn up in, thus Burrell publishing in the US.

I think this man's betrayal of William is far worse than his betrayal of Diana as Diana cannot really be hurt by any of this, but to publicly say that William will not make a good king is awful. Especially based on the pranks of a young child.

I think William and Harry mirror Elizabeth and Margaret. The elder more serious and the younger freer and (on the surface) more fun.

Ana
 
He actually also describes William as sly.

Haven't there been polls though that Harry is the most popular member and people would prefer him as King? Because I feel like there have been quite a few.

I don't think so and even if there were, Harry is not going to be King.. Not unless his brother, and any children he has predecease H. Not going to happen.

Harry has always seemed more superficially charming and open than his brother. I get the feeling that, with Harry, what you see is what you get for the most part. Of course, I'm sure a lot of us know people who are lots of fun at a party but nowhere to be found when things get rough, (and to be clear, I'm not saying Harry seems like that, just pointing out that charm isn't always an indication of good character). Harry also hasn't had the intensity and level of scrutiny and expectation that William has had from birth - Harry has much more leeway to make mistakes.

I get the feeling William never completely relaxes unless he's in private with close family or very close friends. With everyone else - protection officers, for example - there's probably a line that doesn't get crossed. Given the amount of attention and intrusions on their privacy that the family has had to deal with that's probably smart.
Striclty speaking PPOs work for the police not the RF.
Agree about Harry and William. Not a great fan of either of them, but I think that Will IS smart in being very wary of people and the press.. Why SHOULD He like a Protection officer when he was 12 or so? Maybe he was sensible in realising that Wharfe was not very trustworthy ( I don't really think that Will was that clever as a kid but I think he is sensible now and does not take the chance of trusting anyone too far.).
Harry is a nice enough guy but he's not that hard a worker, IMO, he is not as charming as he thinks he is, and he's a nice fella but not much substance to him. William is not that hard a worker either but he does not seem to be always "out there" charming and chatting to the press etc.. so I am less irritated by him..
 
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I think the biggest indicator of William and Harry's relationship has to be the way they've chosen to work together in official capacity. Yes, they each do a lot of things independently of the other. But they created an office at Kensington Palace to share, they've found ways to coordinate their charitable focuses (and Kate's) into an overarching theme of mental health, and they've worked together on several occasions to organize large events such as the Concert for Diana.

Prince Charles was pretty vocal (well, as vocal as royals get in these situations) about wanting them to stay under the umbrella of Clarence House and he's seemed to allow Clarence House staffers a degree of leeway to complain to the press about the differences of philosophy and strategy that exist between his office and theirs. It seems like a strong statement on their part to step together out of that situation and take charge of their own royal careers together. Even just moving to Kensington at all, when there seemed to be moves to phase out the royal residences there and try to keep more royal apartments on the St. James complex (which is where Clarence House is, right?), seems to have been something of a coordinated power move on their part. They're standing united in their decision create their own charitable work rather than simply take on management of the Prince's Trust, too. All in all, while their father certainly has one model in mind for modernizing the royal family once he becomes king, William has his own ideas percolating for how things should be once he's on the throne, and Harry's working together with him to lay a foundation.

And more generally, it seems to me that there's a pretty sharp contrast between William and Harry's comfort with each other and the way the next generation older operates. Charles and his siblings have acted quite independently of each other from the start of their lives as working royals. It's very rare to see any combination of Charles, Anne, Andrew or Edward show up at the same event beyond the really big ones where everyone is expected to attend to the Queen; when they are together they all seem much more relaxed with the Queen than with each other. That's not to suggest bad relationships or outright dislike, just that they aren't around each other enough to be close. They all circle their mother in orbits that rarely intersect. And honestly, that's not that uncommon in families, royal or not. In contrast, William and Harry do a number of joint appearances every year and it's not uncommon to see them playing polo together or choosing to attend the same sporting event. They gravitate towards each other when they're in the same place, they tease each other, and it's not uncommon for them to settle into a more relaxed posture than the "royal on duty" pose when they turn to speak to each other. They may not be the very best friends, they may sometimes push each other's buttons, but they certainly have a comfort with each other that goes far beyond what their father has with his sister and brothers.
 
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