Prince Harry Praised For Treating Meghan 'Better' Than Prince William's Distant Behavior Toward Kate

Oct 06, 2022 by apost team

On Sept. 8, 2022, the British monarchy completely changed as Queen Elizabeth II passed away, making her son, Charles, the new king. In addition to the official procession and funeral service, the queen's sudden death also triggered a series of nationwide public tributes, some of which were attended by members of the royal family. 

Prior to the queen's passing, the princes William and Harry had rarely been seen together since the younger brother distanced himself from the crown and moved to America with his wife and their young children. A now infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which the couple spoke freely about their treatment by the royal family as well as the press and the public, seemed to further push a divide between the brothers. 

However, a death in the family has brought them back together. Both Harry and William raced to their grandmother's bedside earlier this month when it seemed her health was taking a turn for the worse. 

Outside of official royal celebrations, processions and events, William and Harry had rarely been seen together. Even more rare is an appearance of the Fab Four – the two princes and their wives, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. So when, on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, the rare instance of Prince William, Kate, Meghan and Prince Harry reuniting outside of Windsor Castle was captured by mourners and photographers alike, social media soon was soon buzzing. The last time the foursome were photographed together was a service marking Commonwealth Day on Mar. 9, 2020.

Let's take a look at how the two couples differ when it comes to life in the spotlight and how differently the two brothers have turned out after once being so close in childhood.

Prince William was born on Jun. 21, 1982, while his younger brother Harry was born on Sept. 15, 1984. Their mother was Diana, Princess of Wales, the first wife of King Charles III. Known as the "People's Princess," Diana was well-loved by many as an individual and as a mother, too. 

Princess Diana was a doting mother to her two children and cared for them dearly. During her time in the spotlight as a key member of the royal family due to her marriage to King Charles III, Diana was highly respected for her friendliness, charisma, activism and charity work.

Once she became the Princess of Wales, Diana took on many royal duties and responsibilities and represented the royal family well at many events and functions across the Commonwealth. As a mother, much of her work centered around the upbringing of children. Diana also worked at balancing life as a mother, and an important royal figure and oftentimes would bring her sons with her during royal outings. She regularly broke royal traditions as she set out to be the type of mother she yearned to be. Because of this, comparisons have been made between Diana and her youngest son, Harry, who appears to have inherited her independent streak.

Stewart Pearce, former voice coach to Princess Diana, told Us Weekly in May 2021 that Harry reminds him "unquestionably" of the late royal. 

"Harry, in terms of his impetuosity (is Diana). Harry, in terms of his intuitive explosions of energy, (is the most like her). I suppose, slightly, William from the external point of view. But Harry from (his) wonderful ebullience (and) passionate (personality embodies his mother). He's the guy. He loves life. He has fun," Pearce told the outlet.

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In a stunning turn of events, in March 2020, Prince Harry decided to move to Santa Barbara, California, with his wife, Meghan, and their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. Since then, the couple has attempted to live a rather uncontroversial life. 

After Prince Harry and Meghan moved to the United States, they filmed an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, revealing life was not as rosy as it seemed behind palace walls. The couple revealed that "the firm," as they called the palace, told them that Prince Archie, their firstborn, would not be given a title and a security detail because of how "dark" Archie's skin would be. 

"I needed to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody, it's really sad that it's got to this point, but I've got to do something... for my mental health, my wife's... and for Archie's as well because I can see where this is headed," Harry told Oprah in the interview.

These issues caused a further rift between the two and the British Royal Family, including his brother Prince William and his father, King Charles III.

Meanwhile, his brother, Prince William, remained in the United Kingdom, fulfilling his responsibilities as Duke Cambridge along with his wife, Kate, and children. 

In a May 2022 interview on OK! Magazine, the late Princess Diana's former butler, Paul Burell, shared his thoughts on what William and Harry's mother would have felt about them drifting apart. 

"She'd be heartbroken. It wouldn't have got as bad as this if she was still here. She'd have banged their heads together. She's probably the only person that could have done that. If Diana had been here (the rift) would never have happened," Burell said. 

Burell also told OK! Magazine how during his time, he could not have thought that Prince William and Prince Harry would be separated because of their tightly-knit relationship when they were still younger. 

"I cannot get my head around it. I saw those boys grow up and they were tighter than you can possibly believe. They referred to each other about everything. When Diana died I thought they would be inseparable," he added.

Furthermore, Burell, who has been living happily with his husband in Cheshire, England, believes that Prince Harry would not be more content living in California than in his home in the United Kingdom. 

"Harry's going to need his brother one day. I think he will come back to this country with his tail between his legs. His brother will put his arms around him and say, 'Welcome home, Harry.' I don't think he's totally happy. I think he's missing his brother, I really do. I think he's missing his family, I think he's missing his friends and the lifestyle he had here in England. I think he's given everything up for Meghan and I don't know how long he's going to be able to live that life," Burell told the publication.

However, since Harry and Meghan's departure from the UK, the couple appears to be happily raising their two children – daughter Lilibet joined them in 2021 – in Montecito, California, in the United States. They have since shown that they are incredibly loving parents to Archie and Lili; they have definitely had some tougher moments during their parenthood journeys. The couple is also notoriously private with their children – they didn't announce Lilibet's birth until two days later – although they do release pictures of the cute tots once every blue moon. 

Meanwhile, William and Kate met while attending the University of St. Andrews together and built a cozy life for themselves and their three children. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named George Alexander Louis, in 2013. In 2015, they welcomed their second child, a girl named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. In 2018, the couple welcomed another member to the growing royal family, a son they named Louis Arthur Charles.

Since they wed on Apr. 29, 2011, Kate has gracefully stepped into her role as Duchess of Cambridge before later becoming the Princess of Wales in September 2022 following Queen Elizabeth II's passing. According to Express, Kate has ranked among the most well-liked royal family member in their annual survey. She placed second in the survey, beating her husband William and following closely behind the late Queen Elizabeth.

Kate's silent confidence has not only attracted the admiration of thousands worldwide but also serves as a strength for William. The couple faced much tension during their 2022 controversial Caribbean tour. Although the tour was in celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, according to People, William and Kate encountered many protests from the Caribbean nations. Citizens of the countries called for slavery reparations and for the late monarch to step down as the head of state. According to the outlet, William and Kate's Caribbean tour cost British taxpayers $275,000.

Body language expert Judi James spoke with Express and explained how William's body language showed that he was "riddled with gestures and rituals of anxiety." James noted that in moments of high anxiety, it was Kate who calmed William's nerves. 

"It has been Kate flashing smiles of encouragement and approval in his direction," James told the publication.

"Adding some flirtatious hair-preen gestures in there for good measure."

Prior to Queen Elizabeth's death, many family members rushed to be by her side, including her grandson, William. While William's wife, Kate, was not with them right away, she urgently rushed to pick their kids up from school as soon as the tragic news broke that the queen had passed. 

According to TIME, Harry flew to Scotland to be with his grandmother, leaving his wife, Meghan, alone and behind in London. She would follow him soon after.

On Sept. 10, 2022, two days after the queen's passing, Prince William, Kate, Meghan and Prince Harry reunited outside of Windsor Castle to greet members of the public and join them in mourning the queen. 

Social media was soon flooded with gossip about the differences in behavior each royal exhibited, particularly how each treated their wife, and the public seemed to side overwhelmingly with Harry.

The Times reported it was, in fact, William's idea to bring his wife, Harry and Meghan together to greet the public outside Windsor Castle. During the foursome's appearance, Harry was largely praised for his attentiveness towards Meghan. 

As the four stepped out of the gates together, Harry and Meghan held hands while Kate walked fast and appeared to be putting distance between herself and William. The two couples then shook hands and spoke with members of the public. 

Lastly, as the four made their move to leave in the same car, much of the public was besotted by Harry's sweet gesture. Holding Meghan's back in a reassuring way, he guided her to the car door and opened it for her, waiting until she got in before moving to the other side of the car to enter the vehicle. William, meanwhile, got in the driver's seat while Kate opened her own door on the passenger side to get in.

Social media was abuzz with criticism of William and Kate while praising Harry.

"A picture speaks a thousand words! Such distance between her and her husband. Such a big gap! Did #Kate walk before her husband #PrinceWilliam? Awkward!" @sandra4jarvis tweeted.

"#PrinceHarry always protecting his precious better half #MeghanMarkle ❤️ A prince through and through," @Mu_Ri_Elle wrote.

"Harry is truly a prince charming – he's such a gentleman assisting his wife first," another admirer tweeted.

"Gotta love Harry and his chivalry," another tweet read.

"You can see who has inherited King Charles trait and who has inherited Diana Princess of Wales trait," wrote another Twitter user.

Others, however, came to Kate and William's defense.

"Harry and Meg are still in the honeymoon phase of their marriage of 4 years, and he will be extremely protective of Meg while in the UK, now for William and Kate they have been married much longer and Kate is quite independent in her own right!" one Twitter user wrote.

"William & Catherine are secure in their relationship. The heir to the throne doesn't need to be running around opening doors," another tweet read.

"I'm a big fan of chivalry, but in this case it's called protocol. Wills and Kate get in and out of cars all day, every day, multiple times a day, on their way to their many charity events. One goes to one door, the other goes to the other. It's not a statement," another user tweeted. 

While it's fair to compare the siblings in matters of sports and hairlines, it is perhaps inappropriate to hold the grieving of one grandson up in comparison to the grieving of the other. Both men deserve privacy and a moment free of criticism as they navigate this unimaginable time. 

How would you compare Prince William and Prince Harry? Do you feel like Harry is the more attentive and doting husband? Or is William just living up to protocol as first in line to the British throne? Let us know and pass this on to family, friends and loved ones.