Princes William and Harry have issued a statement labelling a story about them published in the national press today as “offensive” and “false”.
The brothers did not specify which story they were referring to, but it is believed to be a Times story claiming they “fell out” because of William’s “bullying attitude” towards Meghan Markle after she started dating Harry.
The story’s second paragraph admits the claim is “contested by sources close to Prince William and others close to Prince Harry”.
The princes said: “Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge.
“For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful.”
A Times spokesperson declined to comment when approached by Press Gazette this afternoon.
It comes as the royal family enters crisis talks after Harry and Meghan announced that they would be stepping back as “senior” royals and divide their time between the UK and Canada.
The royal rift has made headlines since the announcement on Wednesday.
The Sunday Times reported yesterday that William had told friend of his sadness that he and Harry were now “separate entities”, saying: “I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that anymore”.
Sun journalist Dan Wootton, who broke the news of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s split from the monarchy, told Press Gazette the pair were “professional victims” who “wanted to feel like they are under attack from the British press and a lot of the time they actually haven’t been”.
Picture: Paul Grover/Pool via Reuters
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