Prince Harry's hint at royal defiance and feud with William when Princess Diana was still alive

A remark Prince Harry made as a child was an eerie indication of what was to come for him

Prince Harry and Prince William watch a flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018 in London
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

A remark made by Prince Harry as a child seemingly preempted his rebellion against the royal family and fall-out with brother, Prince William, years before he and wife Meghan Markle stepped away from The Firm. 

  • A former royal protection officer, who worked with Princess Diana and her sons when they were young, shared a comment Prince Harry once made that appeared to hint at his future. 
  • Ken Wharfe recalled the moment Harry said something very telling during an argument with his older brother when he was a small boy. 
  • This royal news comes after it was claimed that one particular photograph of Prince George was a 'wake-up call' for Harry and Meghan, telling them they'd never be stars in the royal family. 

Ken, who was a member of staff for Princess Diana and the Princes when they were living in London's Kensington Palace, recounted his memory of one particular day when he was travelling with the Princess of Wales and the boys to Gloucester, to visit Prince Charles' Highgrove Estate.

During the journey, Mr Wharfe heard William and Harry start to bicker. 

"Diana would always take the two boys to Highgrove in Gloucestershire. On this particular occasion Diana was driving, I was sat in the front, William and Harry in the back."

"They’d clearly got off to a bad start because they were arguing before we’d even left," he added, during an appearance on Channel 5 documentary, Prince Harry: The Troubled Prince. 

Prince Harry, Prince William, Princess Diana

(Image credit: Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

"Harry out of nowhere said, 'William, one day you’ll be king, I won’t, it doesn’t matter therefore I can do what I like'," Ken revealed. 

With Diana said to be shocked by Harry's declaration, the surprising outburst did in fact seem to signal towards Prince Harry's future. 

As a teenager and as a young man, Harry was known as the more rebellious of the two brothers and admitted last year that he turned to drugs and alcohol to help mask the pain of the loss of his mother and the pressures of royal life. 

Prince Harry and Prince William attend Princess Diana's funeral

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Harry famously went on to announce his controversial exit from the royal spotlight in early 2020 before moving to LA with Meghan Markle and their son Archie. 

The Sussexes are believed to have a tense relationship with Prince William and other members of the royal fold, following their confessions about life in The Firm, during bombshell interviews with the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Dax Shepard.

Caitlin Elliott
News Editor

Caitlin is News Editor for woman&home, covering all things royal, celeb, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Caitlin started on local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree. She also worked in Fashion PR as a Press Assistant for Arcadia's Topshop before becoming a part of the Now team. Caitlin went on to add the likes of Woman, GoodtoKnow, WhatToWatch and woman&home to her writing repertoire before moving on to her current role.