Prince William And Prince Harry Interactions That Made People Uncomfortable

Still keeping up with the Kardashians? Try keeping up with the British royals instead. Most of the time, they provide us with ongoing theatrics that are arguably way better than any reality TV show you're currently streaming. There's been bucketloads of drama since King Charles III became king — from Prince Harry's bombshell Netflix docuseries to his tell-all memoir that reportedly left plenty of royals seething. And thanks to the British press, we get to keep tabs on all the drama in real time.

Jokes aside, sometimes it's easy to forget that members of the royal family are humans just like us, except for the fact that every disagreement and scandal makes the front page. Prince Harry and Prince William are no stranger to having their relationship analyzed by the press. The two feuding brothers have made plenty of headlines over the years, and because of their strained relationship, pundits and the press continue to keep close tabs on them. As a result, plenty of cringe-worthy interactions between the brothers have been captured on camera.

William and Harry's feud reportedly started shortly before Harry married Meghan Markle. Meghan and Princess Catherine got into a disagreement about Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress, and it caused friction between the couples. While it seemed like a minor hiccup at the time, it was a sign of worse things to come. Harry and William's relationship continued to deteriorate, with William reportedly not approving of Meghan. Cue hundreds of awkward interactions since.

When Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Princess Catherine made their joint debut at the first annual Royal Foundation Forum to announce that Meghan would become a patron of the organization, royal author Tina Brown spotted some tension between Harry and William. The strained relations became evident to Brown when Meghan spoke up about women's rights and made it clear she supported the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, despite royals technically not being allowed to become involved in politics. 

"With blithe proprietorship, she deployed an issue that was not even on the foundation's docket — women's empowerment, then at its fervid height with the acceleration of the #MeToo movement," Brown wrote in her book, "The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil." Brown then recalled how Harry seemed impressed with Meghan's arguments, whereas "his brother and Kate stood by with expressionless irritation." Brown called the joint appearance "an awkward dynamic" and cites this as one of the reasons the couples' first joint charity appearance was their last.

There was also a rather uncomfortable moment where the four royals joked about having disagreements (we're thinking these weren't just jokes, in retrospect). There was talk about them having plenty of arguments that, as they put it, came on "thick and fast." Harry added, "It does have its challenges. But we are stuck together forever now" (via Forbes). If only that turned out to be true.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released pictures of Prince Archie's christening, royal pundits were quick to point out that Prince William didn't seem quite himself in the family portrait. Indeed, upon closer inspection, William did appear a tad uncomfortable.

Fans dubbed the picture awkward, with some ridiculing William for not looking ecstatic on the special day. Those in the know would remember rumors were swirling during this time that Harry and William were at odds, which is likely why people zoned in on his face in the picture. Most agreed that the prince's expression was not up to standard for such a joyful event. "Kate and Will's face says it all," one fan tweeted. "It looks a tad awkward doesn't it lol," replied another. "William looks like he would rather be elsewhere, his face is so sour, can tell he doesn't like Meghan all that much," the fans continued. "They may have to adapt William's face. Odd expression," more commented on X.

Other fans were downright upset with the Prince of Wales' demeanor. "It's just rude and disrespectful ... like you can't show your brother the same respect he's shown to you. It seems like he's not happy for him," a royal follower wrote on Instagram (via The Sun). Body language expert Judi James told The Sun that William did come across as overly formal. "William [is] in a self-protective barrier pose," James said.

Never was the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William more obvious than at the 2020 Commonwealth Day service. Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the U.K. for the event, which was set to be their last as working royals. Instead of welcoming his brother back home, Prince William gave Harry an ice-cold shoulder that was so obvious, pundits took to social media to discuss the brothers' non-existent greeting at the church. "Okay, even I have got to admit that looks cold. They better had a meetup before so that this was only their second greeting during the day, because that's no way to greet a brother when you first see them," one fan wrote (via the Daily Mail). "That felt cold," another added. "I'm sad about this ... didn't acknowledge each other," another chimed in.

While royal fans sometimes misinterpret relations between members of the royal family, they were spot-on this time. In his memoir, "Spare," Harry opened up about how he felt during royal public events, and recalling that specific day said that, not only was it awkward with all the cameras watching their every move, but he also experienced the sensation of being trapped in a soap opera, with everyone gawking at the awkward situation he and William found themselves in. "I felt really distant from the rest of my family," Harry wrote. "And it looked cold. But it also felt cold."

After Prince Harry's abrupt exit from the U.K. in 2020, the next time he came face to face with Prince William was at Prince Philip's funeral in 2021. The two brothers did not walk together during the funeral procession. It appeared that the palace strategically placed Princess Anne's son, Peter Philips, between them to avoid any awkward encounters — or worse, an on-camera squabble. Of course, the press and pundits noticed this calculated move and immediately questioned the reasons behind it. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson later told People it was "a practical change rather than sending a signal." Hmm, yes, practical indeed. Harry also didn't sit next to William during the church service, sparking another round of awkward headlines.

However, after the funeral proceedings, Harry and William were seen walking together with Princess Catherine by their side (via Access Hollywood). She appeared to have been the catalyst of the meetup between the brothers. Harry and William seemed to be making small talk, and were forced to continue doing so after Catherine started lagging behind them — likely on purpose to try and get the two to properly communicate. Alas, according to a piece royal author Robert Lacey wrote for the Daily Mail, all civility between the brothers disappeared into thin air the moment the palace doors closed behind them. "There they were, at each other's throats as fiercely as ever," a friend told Lacey.

In the days leading up to the unveiling of Princess Diana's statue in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, former royal chef Darren McGrady took to X to predict that Prince Harry and Prince William, who were set to come together for the unveiling of the statue, were probably dreading the event. "Oh the irony. William and Harry attending an event that neither will be comfortable the other one is there," McGrady tweeted (via the Mirror).

In footage of the statue's unveiling, Harry and William can be seen arriving at the garden together, after which they seem desperate to be in conversation with anyone but each other. The two didn't really interact, and even when it appeared Harry attempted to make conversation with William, the latter didn't seem keen to participate. Of course, pundits quickly took to X to comment on the awkwardness.

"I think there is some tension going on," one tweeted. "Such a touching moment & yet the only one showing any emotion at all is Prince Harry. The coldness of the other Prince was super cringe," another wrote. "One can't help notice the exuberance of one and the coldness of the other," more fans commented. The two brothers also didn't make a speech together, even though there were expectations that they would. Instead, they released a joint statement.

When Prince Harry and Prince William emerged together for a public walkabout a few days after Queen Elizabeth II died, it came as a bit of a surprise. The brothers' relationship was, according to reports, more strained than ever. Royal author Robert Hardman's book "Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story," claims that William knew how awkward the whole affair would be but wanted to present a united front to the public in the wake of his grandmother's death, so he asked Harry and Meghan Markle to join him and Princess Catherine for the walkabout. "He had been giving it a lot of thought and he said: 'I know it's awkward but isn't it right in the context of my grandmother's death?'" Hardman wrote.

What followed was an excruciating 40 minutes of William and Harry awkwardly walking together with their wives in full view of the public and the paparazzi. Harry and Meghan's tell-all Netflix documentary was set to drop in a few months, as well as Harry's bombshell memoir "Spare" — the tension between the brothers was palpable. "I don't think either couple found it easy," a member of William and Catherine's team is said to have told Hardman. "It was awkward. Both couples found it hard," another insider told People. "They were in a stoic spirit of just getting through it for the queen."

The next time Prince Harry and Prince William came face-to-face was at King Charles III's coronation ceremony. This was arguably one of the brothers' most awkward encounters to date, because the coronation occurred only a few months after Prince Harry's tell-all memoir "Spare" was released. In the book, Harry detailed a physical fight between him and William, which made the royal look hot-headed and aggressive — something the future king likely didn't appreciate. When the two brothers encountered each other during the coronation ceremony, Harry avoided eye contact with his estranged brother.

According to body language expert Judi James, as Harry spotted his brother entering Westminster Abbey, he quickly directed his attention elsewhere. "Harry performed what looked like an oddly-times [sic] act of ignore or attention diversion as his father, brother, and sister-in-law walked in a procession in front of him," James told the Mirror. Harry made a point of talking to Princess Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank, as William made his way past him. "Harry was looking up as Charles, William, and Kate arrived to walk past but after looking at his father, Harry turned his head to speak to [Brooksbank] again in a very odd way at a crucial point in the ceremony when all eyes and attention were on Charles and William's arrival," James said. Harry didn't sit anywhere near William during the ceremony, making the icy distance between them glaringly obvious.