William’s Early Doubts About Meghan Markle Reported to Be Behind Royal Feud

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The royal falling out between Meghan and Harry on one side and William and Kate on the other has its roots in an overly frank exchange of brotherly views, according to royal biographer and Vanity Fair columnist Katie Nicholl.

“William was quite concerned that the relationship had moved so quickly,” Nicholl says in a promo clip for TLC’s Kate v. Meghan: Princesses at War?, which will air at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday, “And being close to Harry, probably the only person close enough, [William said], ‘This seems to be moving quickly, are you sure?’”

Nicholl adds: “I think what was meant as well-intended brotherly advice just riled Harry. Harry is hugely protective of Meghan. He saw that as criticism. He interpreted that as his brother not really being behind this marriage, this union, and I don’t think things have been quite right ever since.”

Nicholl’s claims mirror allegations made previously that the relationship between Harry and William was damaged when William expressed reservations about his brother’s swift march toward engagement.  

Indeed, a report in The Sun alleged that tension stemming from the elder brother’s reservations about Meghan led to a divide between the houses of Sussex and Cambridge.

The Sun’s source said: “William told his brother they knew nothing about her background, her intentions, what she was really like. He just wanted to stress that becoming part of the royal family is a massive undertaking and the pressure and scrutiny is unrelenting. Was Meghan the right one?”

The reaction was that, “Harry went mental,” according to a friend and, “accused his brother of trying to finish his romance before it had begun. The brothers’ relationship has not really recovered.”