A Look Back at Prince William & Prince Harry's Relationship Over the Years

Just like we've seen Prince William's own kids do, when Harry was born, Will was brought to the hospital to meet his brother for the first time -- and he was dressed a lot like George was as a toddler! Being that Will was only 2 when Harry was born, it's pretty likely that he doesn't remember life before he had a little brother.

Being so close in age would eventually help them stay close as brothers and friends.

In this photo, which was taken in 1986, Harry and William are sitting together on the steps enjoying each other's company. It's clear that from the very beginning they were good friends, and anyone would be hard pressed to find a picture of these two together in their childhood when they weren't smiling -- especially if their mom, Princess Diana, was around.

We've seen George and Charlotte heading off to school together in their matching uniforms, and as it turns out, those photos were actually an echo of days Harry and William spent together like this. Taken on September 11, 1989, this picture marks Harry's very first day of school (ever) as he and William pose together in their own set of matching uniforms. 

Seriously, too cute.

As adults, Harry and William have spoken at length about their close bond with their mother, and there are plenty of photos like this that show off what fun they had as a threesome. This pic, taken in 1993, is proof that Diana tried to give her boys the most normal childhood they could possibly have when being royal. She wasn't afraid to get a little wet on a water ride at a theme park in the process, either!

On September 6, 1997, Harry and William had to say goodbye to Diana at her funeral service, and it seems they stuck together the whole time. It's hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for them to lose their mother -- especially because they were both still so young -- but they did have each other to lean on. And at this point, it seemed like their brotherly bond stayed as tight as ever.

As Will and Harry approached their older teenage years, they still seemed to be close. Every photo of them together included big smiles and always made them seem as if they were in deep conversation. After growing up royal and experiencing such a huge loss at a young age, who better to understand each other than these two brothers who had gone through everything together?

Here the boys are in 2004, when Will would have been 22 and Harry would have been 20, playing in a polo match together. Because both of them have always been rather athletic, it's no surprise that they've spent much of their time together playing sports ... and as it turns out, their polo matches would end up being a tradition that would span years into their adult lives.

Harry was still in his early 20s when Kate Middleton was welcomed into their fold. Even though Will was growing up and dating the woman he would eventually marry, it appeared Harry was welcome to spend time with them as much as he wanted, and this would eventually lead to Kate's brotherly relationship with Harry down the line. 

Not a bad way to be a third wheel!

Any time that royal duty called, Harry and William were there together, making the best of it -- and we know that at some point, those obligations had to be at least a little boring! Here they are at Trooping The Colour in 2008, deep in conversation about whatever it is that Harry's pointing at. Both of them are adults at this point, and their relationship was still going strong.

Another perk of Harry and William being so close in age: Their military service just so happened to overlap! Known as Harry Wales and William Wales, they both served in the Royal Air Force around the same time, and this photo was taken during training in 2009. Just like they donned their matching uniforms at school, they got to coordinate uniforms once again here.

When William married Kate in 2011, of course, Harry was right by his side -- that much is a given, considering all the photos from that day of these brothers walking and talking together (usually with huge grins on their faces). It seemed like it was a truly happy day for their family, and served as another one of life's milestones that these brothers supported each other through.

Once Will and Kate's marriage was official, Kate became part of the royal family, and that meant that she joined her husband and brother-in-law in their royal obligations. During this time, Will, Kate, and Harry seemed to make quite a team, with the trio showing up to events together and generally looking like Kate fit right into these brother's lives so seamlessly.

Even though William, Kate, and Harry were seen doing just about everything together after the wedding, it didn't mean that Will and Harry didn't still do things on their own. In fact, they continued to participate in polo matches together, and it seemed like their brotherly relationship hadn't changed a bit, even with one of them becoming a married man in the process.

The next challenge to Harry and William's relationship came when they introduced Meghan Markle into the fold when she and Harry started dating in 2017. Before they officially tied the knot, Meghan began attending some of their royal events with them, and it didn't take long before there were rumors that William thought Harry was rushing into things with her. Around this time began the first of the rumblings that a feud was brewing.

Despite the rumor mill working overtime about a potential royal feud, even after Harry asked Meghan to marry him it still seemed as if he definitely had the support of his brother to count on. In fact, around the time this photo was taken, it had been announced that Harry had asked William to be his best man in their wedding -- not that we expected anything less.

On May 19, 2018, Harry and Meghan tied the knot, and just as Harry had been there to support Will the day that he and Kate were married, Will did the same for his younger brother. As far as photos from that day go, it seemed like everything was great between them and the rest of the family. It appeared Will and Kate were genuinely happy for the new couple.

Now that Meghan had officially become royal, she would start attending events with Harry, Will, and Kate -- including her very first Trooping The Colour, which is when this photo was taken. These four would be seen out and about together a lot now that Meghan had become the Duchess of Sussex, and for a long time, it would seem they actually had a lot of fun and got along well.

A lot changed in the royal family during the first year of Meghan and Harry's marriage. Not only did the fam welcome Meghan into the fold, but it also wasn't long before she announced she was pregnant. And soon enough, Archie Harrison was born. But despite these changes, Harry and William still seemed to do their best to stay close, still participating in their favorite sporty pastimes together.

By the end of 2019, it was clear that the feud rumors hadn't just been rumors. Harry and William weren't pictured together nearly as much as they once were, and when they were, it seemed like they may have been annoyed with each other. Before long, Harry was making his own plans -- taking off on a sabbatical with Meghan and skipping family holidays that year.

Not long after Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down from their post as senior royals, they reunited with Kate and Will during Commonwealth Day in March 2020. But they might as well have been strangers, as the couples barely seemed to interact, making all those feud rumors even more believable than they had been before. 

What happened to this brotherly bond?