As the third child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis has grown up happily alongside his older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
But now a new royal biography claims that Louis could be at a ‘disadvantage’ compared to his older siblings.
Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand suggests that whilst George and Charlotte enjoyed spending time with their uncle, Prince Harry, Prince Louis is not so fortunate.
Prince Harry reportedly used to drop in to visit his nephew and niece regularly. But these warm relations supposedly changed after a conversation about the prince’s partner, Meghan Markle.
The growing rift between Prince William and Prince Harry has led to Louis seeing far less of his uncle. Coupled with Harry’s move to America with Meghan and their young son Archie Harrison, this rift has deepened.
Why did Prince William and Prince Harry fall out?
According to royal biographers Scobie and Durand, the conversation that first opened up the rift involved William voicing his concerns at the pace at which Harry’s relationship with Meghan was progressing.
William supposedly told Harry to take as much time as he needed for them to get to know each other. However, Harry was said to be offended by William’s advice. He is suggested to have found William’s use of the phrase “this girl” particularly upsetting.
What happened afterwards?
In the months that followed this conversation, Harry stopped visiting his brother and his family. It is reported that the pair “barely spoke”.
Harry’s displeasure seemed to be aimed at his brother. However, it also meant that William’s wife Kate Middleton and their children saw him much less frequently too.
According to Finding Freedom, "the brothers went from always making time for each other to barely spending any time together."
It continued, suggesting that Harry’s visits "came to a virtual halt by the summer of 2017".
William and Kate are also believed to have stopped inviting him to their home in Kensington Palace, worsening the rift.
How has this affected Prince Louis?
Prince Louis was not born until April 2018, the spring following on from the conversation that started the rift.
The biographers claim that, "Harry had always loved popping across the grounds of the Palace to see George and Charlotte, bringing them gifts that included an electric SUV for his nephew and a tricycle for Charlotte."
They then go on to add that, "Harry had spent less time with Prince Louis than the others because of the growing tension between him and his brother after the baby’s birth on April 23, 2018."
So whilst Louis’ siblings enjoyed a time of closeness with their uncle, free from these tensions, Louis has not been so lucky.
Now 2 years old, the prince has already missed out on so much time with Prince Harry. It remains to be seen whether the royal rift will heal itself. Only then will Louis to have all the advantages of the royal relationship his siblings have experienced.
