Prince William has provided a rare public acknowledgment of his strained relationship with his younger brother, Prince Harry, in a new documentary about homelessness.
In a preview clip from the ITV documentary “Prince William: We Can End Homelessness,” the future King of England recalled a pivotal childhood memory he shared with Harry—a visit to The Passage, a London-based charity supporting people experiencing homelessness.
“My mother escorted Harry and me to The Passage.” I must have been 11 years old at the time, possibly even 10. I had never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious about what to expect,” William said.
The documentary features a touching photo of the two young princes, dressed casually, sitting with their mother, the late Princess Diana, at the charity center. William fondly remembered Diana’s ability to instantly put everyone at ease with her warmth and humor.
“She made everyone there feel relaxed and laughing and joking with everyone,” he said. “I remember at the time kind of thinking, ‘Well, whoever’s not got a home, they’re all going to be really sad,’ but it was incredible how happy an environment it was.”
This marks the first time William has publicly mentioned his estranged brother since their relationship deteriorated in the wake of Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle and the couple’s subsequent decision to step back from royal duties.
Tensions have boiled over in the wake of Harry and Meghan’s candid interviews and Harry’s explosive memoir “Spare,” in which he leveled allegations of physical assault against William, severely straining the brothers’ once-close bond.
Despite the official well wishes from the Kensington Palace Instagram account on Harry’s 40th birthday, the two have largely avoided each other in public, with reports of them “keeping their distance” at events like the memorial service for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes.
In the documentary, William’s recollection of their shared experience at The Passage provides a rare glimpse into a time when the brothers’ relationship was still intact. The Prince of Wales credits those early encounters with homelessness as shaping his own passion for the issue, which he has carried into his adult life and work.
“When you’re quite small, you just think life is what you see in front of you, and you don’t really have a concept to look elsewhere. It’s when you meet people, like I did then, who offer a different perspective and say, ‘Well, I was living on the street last night,’ that you’re like, ‘Woah,'” William said.
The documentary offers a candid look at William’s ongoing efforts to address homelessness through his Homewards initiative, which aims to eradicate the crisis in six pilot locations across the UK by 2028. It’s a cause he has clearly carried with him since those formative childhood experiences alongside his brother.
While the relationship between the two princes remains strained, William’s willingness to publicly invoke Harry’s name, even if briefly, suggests a glimmer of hope that the brothers may one day find a path to reconciliation. Their shared history and the profound impact of their mother’s influence continue to linger, despite the current tensions.
As William navigates his own role as a future monarch, he has openly acknowledged drawing inspiration from Princess Diana’s compassionate approach to social issues. And in this documentary, he demonstrates determination to honor her legacy by tackling the complex challenge of homelessness head-on.