Prince Harry and Prince William‘s fractured relationship may be dominating headlines, but that hasn’t stopped the Duke of Sussex from talking about his love for his older brother.
In one chapter from his extremely candid memoir, Spare, the dad-of-two – who has been taking part in various interviews for the book’s launch – recalled one of their innocent playfights during their childhood.
WATCH: Prince Harry reveals joke he and William shared during Queen’s funeral
When visiting their father King Charles‘ friends, Hugh and Emilie, in Norfolk, the two brothers would often play games such as Hide and Seek and Capture the Flag with the couple’s four sons.
However, the games would always end in a “massive scrap, and whatever the scrap, there were no winners because there were no rules”.
Harry wrote: “Hair-pulling, eye-gouging, arm-twisting, sleeper holds, all was fair in love and war and at Hugh and Emilie’s country house.”
SEE: Sweet moment between Prince William, Prince Harry and King Charles caught on camera
READ MORE: How Cressida Bonas became the ex-girlfriend of Prince Harry to get away
He added: “As the youngest and smallest I always took the brunt. But I also did the most escalating, the most asking for it, so I deserved everything I got. Black eye, violet welt, puffed lip, I didn’t mind. On the contrary. Maybe I wanted to look tough.”
Prince Harry has spoken about his love for Prince William in his book
During one of their pretend battles, they would often split into teams. “Sometimes I was fighting alongside Willy, sometimes against,” explained Harry. “No matter the alliances, though, it often happened that one or two of Hugh and Emilie’s boys would turn and set upon Willy.
DON’T MISS: Prince Harry reveals regret over Meghan Markle’s first meeting with the Queen
“I’d hear him crying out for help and down would come the red mist, like a blood vessel bursting behind my eyes. I’d lose all control, all ability to focus on anything but family, country, tribe, and hurl myself at someone, everyone.”
Prince William is yet to comment on the memoir
Harry revealed he would often grab William during these tussles. “I don’t know how effective or skilled a fighter I was. But I always succeeded in providing enough diversion for Willy to get away,” he continued. “He’d check his injuries, wipe his nose, then jump straight back in.”
United, Harry spoke fondly of his older sibling and how much love he had for him. “When the scrap finally ended for good, when we hobbled away together, I always felt such love for him, and I sensed love in return, but also some embarrassment,” he said.
“I was half Willy’s size, half his weight. I was the younger brother: he was supposed to save me, not the other way around.”
LISTEN: KING CHARLES: THE MAN BEHIND THE CROWN
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to The Royal Explainer newsletter to receive your weekly dose of royal features and other exclusive content straight to your inbox.
It’s official – the whole family will be obsessed with this new mobile game
Win €10,000 to kickstart your fashion career
Visit these luxury hotels for the ultimate family break
More on:
By registering to HELLO!’s newsletter, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted hellomagazine.com’s privacy policy, the cookies policy, and the website terms of use, and that you consent to hellomagazine.com using your data according to the established laws. If you wish to change your mind and would like to stop receiving communications from hellomagazine.com, you can revoke your consent by clicking on “unsubscribe” in the footer of the newsletter.