Royal fans were treated to a sweet old video of Prince William and Prince Harry, which even went viral on TikTok. However, a few people only realized that the whole thing came with a heartbreaking backstory.
The clip was reportedly shot the day before Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding back in 2018, which showed the brothers smiling and greeting crowds outside Windsor Castle. They laughed, shook hands, and also looked like every bit the tight-knit duo royal watchers once adored. However, on the other side of those smiles persisted a rift that had already started to crack their bond.
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Fast forward to now, and the two princes reportedly aren’t even speaking. Harry has said he wants to reconnect with his family, and he’s met with King Charles a few times. But when it comes to Prince William, insiders say he’s having none of it, especially because of his deep mistrust of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
And according to Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare, even back then things were tense. Harry revealed that his big brother didn’t even want to join him the night before the wedding, something they’d always done for each other. William’s excuse? “Can’t do it, Harold. Kate and the kids.” Harry wrote that the snub crushed him. “I’d always believed, despite our problems, that our underlying bond was strong,” he said (via Newsweek). But that moment clearly showed just how far apart the brothers had already drifted.
Fans Thought It Was New Then Realized the Truth
As the TikTok clip spread like wildfire, royal fans flooded the comments with excitement, many thinking the brothers had finally reunited. “Very HAPPY to see both brothers [have reunited],” one person gushed. Another wrote, “Please tell me this is recent! I hope they can all mend fences and reconnect!”
Others got emotional, saying how proud Princess Diana would’ve been to see her boys smiling side by side again. “Princess Diana would have never allowed them to have [a] rift if [she were still] alive,” one user commented, breaking hearts everywhere.
But that joy quickly turned to sadness when people learned the clip was actually years old. It wasn’t a royal reunion, it was a reminder of what’s been lost. Harry later admitted he “felt sick about [the situation]” (via Newsweek), and fans said watching the video now feels like “a punch to the gut.”
The Brothers Who Once Were
These days, fans cling to any sign of hope that William and Harry might reconcile. Back in May 2025, another royal clip went viral showing Prince Louis teasing his big brother George over a hair flip, reminding people of the fun, cheeky bond William and Harry once shared. For now, that seems like a distant memory. The viral throwback has turned into a sad snapshot of what could’ve been, two brothers who once laughed together, now worlds apart.