Major update: Meghan Markle not 'sole' reason of rift between Prince William, Prince Harry

Before the Duke of Sussex's decision to depart from the royal family in 2020, Prince Harry and Prince William had already been experiencing a strained and distant relationship for years. 

This tension persisted even after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, resigned from their royal duties four years ago and subsequently relocated to the United States.

Following their exit the couple opened up in interviews and the media detailing their experience of the royal family, with some controversial comments that appeared to have caused a rift in the family and angered senior royals including the Prince of Wales.

Yet the two brothers were already in a fall out according to royal biographer Robert Lacey, who claims the pair have had arguments as far back as 2002.

In his best-selling Battle of Brothers Lacey wrote: "Meghan was not the original factor in Prince Harry’s decision to get shot of his family. In January 2005 following the “Colonials and Natives” costume fiasco, we now know that Prince Harry was drawn to re-evaluate his elder brother’s involvement and the unfairness of William’s emergence smelling of roses. 

"It made Harry feel alienated. Friends recall “no speaks” and quite a serious rift between the brothers at the time – as there had been after the “Drugs Shame” of 2002, when Harry had first started to realise the price of playing the functional scapegoat."

In the wake of the Princess of Wales revealing to the world that she had been diagnosed with cancer, it had been thought that Prince Harry and Prince William could be reunited even in brief conversations with distancing in place.

Royal expert and author Tom Quinn exclusively told the Mirror: "Given Kate's cancer diagnosis, Harry will certainly make efforts to see his brother and Kate when he returns to the UK in May – if it happens at all it's to be a very brief carefully choreographed meeting and organised to last a short time so that the brothers can avoid any difficult conversations."