William was “intensely saddened” at his brother’s decision to quit
20:41, 15 Feb 2026Updated 21:39, 15 Feb 2026
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (left) and Prince Harry(Image: 2021 Getty Images)
Details about Princess Kate and Prince William’s relationship with Harry and Meghan have been released. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, moved to the US after stepping back from official royal duties.
The couple, who met in 2016 and married in 2018, kept their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, but are no longer addressed as His or Her Royal Highness (HRH). Harry also gave up his military titles. According to an extract from an upcoming biography set to be released later this month, William and Kate had added reason to be nervous about the Sussexes’ departure.
William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story will be published on February 26. It is the first joint biography of the Prince and Princess of Wales in over a decade, and has been exclusively serialised in the Mirror. The biography set to be published by Ebury, Penguin Random House, is available to pre-order now.
The extract said: “William was intensely saddened at his brother’s decision to quit. He and Harry had been drifting apart for years, but now he knew deep down that there would be no turning back. Fond memories of their childhood, from helping each other through the tragedy of their mother’s death, to growing up in the public eye, were now tarnished by the division at the heart of the family.”
According to the biography, Kate had less interest than her husband in trying to persuade Harry to stay in his current role. She believed William and Harry’s fundamental differences as the ‘heir and the spare’ had created the inevitability of Harry wanting more from his role than being a bit-part player.
William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story will be published on February 26(Image: The Mirror)
William warned his brother about the speed at which the relationship with Meghan had progressed. A source said: “It’s easy to forget now, given everything that has gone on, but William did find Meghan quite refreshing at first. He was genuinely happy for Harry and only wanted the best for him.
“Meghan made him happy and if she had been prepared to take a chance on their relationship, then he certainly would have never stood in their way. If there was one thing he was uneasy about, it was a clash of styles. He definitely saw it as a potential problem on the horizon.”
Kate and Sophie, the then Countess of Wessex and now Duchess of Edinburgh, had attempted to assist Meghan as she assimilated into royal life, but their “repeated attempts” were not responded to.
Another extract focused on Meghan not being given security, said: “Meghan became a target on social media owing to her biracial heritage and Harry demanded that action be taken. Royal aides informed him they were powerless to act, so he turned his attention to the royal protection teams funded by the Home Office.
“When told any such protection would not be provided until after he and Meghan were married, Harry was incredulous and appealed to his father and brother to intervene. The Prince of Wales insisted he could not become involved in a government decision, especially one where any costs would be footed by taxpayers.
“Harry was well aware that Kate had not only received unofficial guidance from the palace when merely his brother’s girlfriend, but that she had also qualified for round-the-clock protection as soon as they became engaged.”
William and Kate were fearful not only of the effect on team morale, but also their capacity to work with Harry and Meghan moving forward. The biography said: “In one camp you had the people who cared, wanted those working in the household to enjoy themselves while working there, and on the other side it was something different every day. Nothing was ever good enough, there were constant complaints. It was exhausting.”
In the aftermath of Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview, a source said: “She (Kate) was very clear that any engagement with Harry or Meghan should be with the utmost of caution because it was obvious that they weren’t to be trusted.”
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