Heartbreaking moment the world realised Harry and William were no longer close

With Prince William and Prince Harry's relationship still strained, many will wonder when the world first became aware of their troubles.

The royal brothers have grown further and further apart over the years, with the most recent frosty encounter seeing the once beloved siblings avoiding each other for the entirety of a memorial service for one of their maternal relatives in Norfolk.

Many would trace the breakdown back to the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle deciding to step away from royal life in 2020 to pursue their own path in California, US. Some of the decisions made by Prince Harry made the situation worse even more fraught, including the publication of his autobiography Spare, and the couple producing their own Netflix documentary.

But the first hint at problems among the Windsor heirs actually came a year earlier in October 2019 during an ITV documentary titled Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. In a snippet of the program, Harry says: "Look, we're brothers, we'll always be brothers. And we're certainly on different paths at the moment, but I'll always be there for him, as I know he'll always be there for me."

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Harry continued: "We don't see each other as much as we used to because we're so busy, but you know, I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff (in the press) is created out of nothing, but you know, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days."

Yesterday Prince Harry received a surprise public birthday message from his estranged royal relatives on his 40th birthday. The Kensington Palace official social media account posted a message to the Duke of Sussex, across the Atlantic in California, as he celebrates the landmark birthday today - despite him being embroiled in a bitter feud with his father King Charles and brother Prince William.

It read: "Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!" Only working royals usually get birthday wishes on the official Royal Family social media accounts. The last time Harry got birthday wishes on the Royal Family account was three years ago in 2021 when the late Queen was still alive. The Prince and Princess of Wales ' account last publicly sent him birthday wishes in the same year.

Earlier this month, friends of Harry said he is aware of William's feelings on the idea of him returning to the royal fold after The Mirror previously revealed Prince William suggested there was “zero chance” he would be welcomed back into the fold after penning his explosive memoir, Spare.

He remains estranged from his brother William, which was highlighted by the siblings reportedly not talking when they attended a family funeral last month. Previous reports suggested they had not talked in over two years since the late Queen died.

Meanwhile, other reports have claimed Harry and his dad are no longer speaking with one long-running issue seeing their estrangement deepen. Sources close to the Sussexes claimed that Harry's calls to his dad are going unanswered as Harry tries to discuss his security arrangements with his father. The Duke has been embroiled in a long-running battle over his security when he comes to the UK after he automatically lost the right to his police protection when he stepped down as a working royal.