Prince Harry has spoken about a joint statement released by him and his brother Prince William in 2020, and how it caused a huge rift between the once-close siblings
16:22 ET, 09 Aug 2025Updated 16:33 ET, 09 Aug 2025
Prince Harry revealed Meghan Markle’s reaction after a Prince William move(Image: Getty, Netflix)
Meghan Markle “burst into floods of tears” when Prince William issued a statement denying allegations of bullying against him, as per Prince Harry.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recounted an incident from early 2020, shortly after the Sandringham Summit following their decision to step down as working royals. A story emerged suggesting that part of their decision was due to Prince William having “bullied them out”.
In the fifth episode of their explosive Netflix docuseries, Harry discussed his wife’s reaction, stating: “I mean, the saddest part of it was this wedge created between me and my brother so that he’s now on the institution’s side. And I get, part of that I get. I understand right?”
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“That’s his inheritance, so to some extent, it’s already ingrained in him that part of his responsibility is the survivability and the continuation of this institution.
The Sussexe quit the Royal Family in 2020(Image: Getty)
“That day, a story came out that part of the reason why Meghan and I were leaving was because William had bullied us out.”
He continued, “And once I got in the car after the meeting, I was told about a joint statement that had been put out in my name and my brother’s name, squashing the story about him bullying us out of the family.”
“I couldn’t believe it. No one had asked me permission to put my name to a statement like that.
“And I called [Meghan] and I told her and she burst into floods of tears because within four hours they were happy to lie to protect my brother and yet for three years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”
The declaration, which remains visible on the now-defunct sussexroyal website, currently displays a note above it, reports the Express.
It read, “On January 13, 2020, the following joint statement was issued by a spokesperson for Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex in response to accusations of bullying being the reason for The Duke and Duchess’s departure.
“The Duke of Sussex was not made aware of the statement prior to its release.”
However, a Royal commentator criticized the pair who, despite this incident, proceeded to “air their dirty laundry in public.”
It was a decision which inflicted considerable “damage to the narrative of a happy family life”.
Royal writer Ed Owens remarked on the Mirror’s Pod Save The King podcast, “We’ve had the Sussexes airing their dirty laundry in public for the best part of three years – and again it has done much damage to that narrative of happy family life.”