Growing distant? Prince Harry‘s relationship with sister-in-law Princess Kate wasn’t always so rocky, as he describes in his memoir, Spare.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, got candid about his life as a member of the British royal family — and what changed after he stepped down from his senior royal duties — in his bombshell book, which hits shelves on Tuesday, January 10. While looking back on his highs and lows, he recalled meeting Kate, now 40, in the early days of her romance with Prince William.
“I liked his new girlfriend. She was carefree, sweet [and] kind. She’d done a gap year in Florence, knew about photography, art. And clothes. She loved clothes,” the BetterUp CIO wrote. “Her name was Kate. … I liked seeing Kate laugh. Better yet, I liked making her laugh. And I was quite good at it.”
Harry and the newly named Princess of Wales initially got along swimmingly. When news broke in late 2010 that William, now 40, had proposed to Kate, Harry gushed to the press that he was “absolutely delighted” for the couple.
“I’ve always wanted a sister and now I’ve got one,” the younger prince noted at the time. “I’ve known Kate for years, and it’s fantastic that she is becoming part of the family.”
It wasn’t long, however, before Harry’s feelings grew more bittersweet. When William and Kate exchanged vows in April 2011, Harry said he thought he was losing his brother.
“I recall Willy walking her back up the aisle, and as they disappeared through the door, into the carriage that would convey them to Buckingham Palace, into the eternal partnership they’d pledged, I recall thinking: ‘Goodbye,’” he wrote in Spare. “I loved my new sister-in-law, I felt she was more sister than in-law, the sister I’d never had and always wanted, and I was pleased that she’d forever be standing by Willy’s side. She was a good match for my older brother.”
He continued: “They made each other visibly happy, and therefore I was happy too. But in my gut couldn’t help feeling that this was yet another farewell under this horrid roof. Another sundering. The brother I’d escorted into Westminster Abbey that morning was gone — forever.”
Once Meghan Markle came into the picture, the dynamic between Harry and Kate shifted further. Briefly dubbed the “Fab Four,” the couples often made joint appearances together over the years. However, Harry and Meghan’s 2020 royal exit drove a wedge between the duos.
The foursome reunited for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022, three months before Harry and Meghan detailed their departure from the royal family in Netflix’s Harry & Meghan docuseries. While no senior royals publicly commented on the episodes, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Kate wasn’t pleased with the revelations.
“Kate feels hurt and betrayed that Harry would do this to her too, especially as the pair used to be so close,” the insider noted in December 2022.
Scroll down for the biggest Spare bombshells about Harry’s relationship with Kate: