It is a question many royal fans have often wondered: if Princess Diana were alive today, would the feud between her sons Prince William and Prince Harry ever escalated to this point?
Take it from Diana’s biographer, Andrew Morton, who collaborated with the Princess of Wales on the bombshell 1992 book Diana: Her True Story. Speaking to People for a new cover story, Morton told the outlet, “Diana always used to say she had two boys for a reason—the younger would be there to support the older in the lonely task as future king.”
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William in September 1995.
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“There is no doubt Diana would have tried to act as a peacemaker between them,” Morton added. “If she had been around, they would have worked things out in a different way.”
Though the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex are living entirely different lives on different continents—and are reportedly not speaking—the influence of their mother remains strong in both of them.
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William.
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“This is the sadness of it—they aren’t supporting each other like they should be,” a source close to the royal household told People. “That’s what any mother would want—that they are there for each other.”
Historian Robert Lacey told the publication that the rift between brothers remains “profound and long-lasting”; Morton added that their divide is “a great loss for the monarchy.”
Prince Harry and Prince William on July 1, 2021.
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Prince William, Princess Diana, and Prince Harry on March 30, 1993.
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“We all remember the days when Harry and William were joshing with one another, and it all seemed set for their relationship and the future—that Harry, as Diana always used to say, would be William’s wingman,” Morton added.
Diana would have acted as a bridge between brothers, but as it stands 28 years after her death on August 31, 1997, “Everyone wants it to happen on their terms, but that’s what makes it impossible,” historian Amanda Foreman said.
“They both deeply believe that they’re fighting for profound points of principle,” Lacey added.