Prince Harry shares Archie and Lilibet's 'sibling rivalry' that has similar aspects to his and William's

Prince Harry has revealed how his kids are starting to show similar aspects to his own 'rivalry' with brother William.

Prince Harry and Prince William
(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Harry has revealed his children Archie and Lilibet have a 'sibling rivalry' that's showing similar aspects to the one he has with brother Prince William.


Archie and Lilibet are said to have a 'sibling rivalry' that has similar aspects to Prince Harry and William's, according to the Duke of Sussex.

Prince Harry has opened up on his own childhood, family life with wife Meghan and their two children son Archie, three, and daughter Lilibet, one, and his ongoing 'feud' with the royal family - including his relationship with brother Prince William in his new memoir Spare.

And while giving his version of accounts in the book Spare, he took part in a TV interview with journalist Tom Bradby, in which he referenced the relationship between his own children as he likened it to aspects of his own relationship with brother Prince William.

After claiming brother William didn't like it when their mother Princess Diana dressed them up in the 'same outfits', Harry explained, "I seem to remember I found it quite funny. But the older, younger sort of sibling rivalry as such, now is only really becoming real to me. For instance, [in my memoir] I talk about the relationship between William and myself at Eton and the fact that he didn't really want to know me, and you know, as the younger brother that sucks."

He continued, "It's like 'Come on, you left me at Ludgrove and now I'm here at Eton – now we're at the same school, let's go'. He didn’t want anything to do with me and that hurt at the time."

Directly referencing his own children Archie and Lilibet, the Duke added, "But now, well the gap between me and William is very similar to Archie and Lili, and to see Lili obsessed with Archie and Archie like 'No, no Lili, I need my space, I need my space' – now I get it."

He admitted, "I get how irritating the younger sibling can be to the older sibling. But in the moment, at the time, I didn't really grasp that, I didn't really realise it."

And some fans can relate to his experience of 'sibling rivalry'. One fan tweeted, "#supportforHarry being a middle child I understand the sibling rivalry and comparison and expectations though I’m far from royal, but I have deep sympathy for and understand why he write the book and the need for your side to be heard. #PrinceHarry ##PrinceHarryInterview."

Another fan put, "If you have ever gone through sibling rivalry, you know what Prince Harry has said it true. I went through something similar with my older sister when she was a senior in High School and I was a freshman She told me not to follow her in school and acted as if she didn't know me."

And a third fan added, "My brother didn’t want to hang out with me, we had a sibling rivalry. Is that not every sibling ever #PrinceHarry."

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You can watch Prince Harry: The Interview and also 60 minutes Interview on ITVX, meanwhile Prince Harry's memoir Spare is on sale now.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)