In the years since Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, a rift has formed between him and his older brother Prince William that only seems to be widening. However, a royal expert spoke out this week to say that the feud between the two brothers actually started long before each of their wives were in the picture.

People Magazine reported that the royal historian Robert Lacey is the author of the new book “Battle of Brothers: The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult,” which explores the schism between the brothers that he says dates back to their parents’ rocky marriage.

“Both brothers have been damaged by their upbringings; both have reacted by finding different solutions,” explained Lacey, also the historical consultant for the Netflix series The Crown. “There is so much pain and trauma in this story, going right back to the beginning.”

Lacey added that though the brothers “were raised to be close and protective of each other,” tensions soon arose as William was groomed for his role as future king while Harry had no defined role of his own. Everything came to a head when Harry first began dating Meghan back in 2017, and William warned him to take things slow with her.

“Fundamental to the whole saga is the clash of love versus duty,” said Lacey, who went on to warn that the brothers face “potential tragedy” if they can’t find a way to reconcile.

Making things even more difficult for them is the fact that they now live on opposite sides of the world. While William still lives in the United Kingdom with his wife and their three children, Harry has moved to Montecito, California with Meghan and young son Archie.

“This compares with Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936 and the death of Princess Diana in 1997,” said Lacey. “It’s of that scale. And it’s a challenge that’s yet to be resolved.”

Lacey also said that he thinks that the palace mishandled the way it handled Meghan.

“They just sent her off to watch the queen opening the Mersey Bridge,” he said. “There is nothing wrong with that, but they made the mistake of dealing with the spare’s wife thinking she was just a routine royal. She was never going to be a routine royal.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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