Harry and William: How their falling out was inevitable, but will it happen to their children?

William and Harry are not the first royal siblings to fall out, but was it always going to happen? And, how will the Prince and Princess of Wales prevent it happening to their kids?

OPINION

Sibling rivalry is very real. The royal family is currently providing a great illustration of that.

Harry and Meghan’s ‘soap opera’ marathon on Netflix, where the Duke of Sussex does his very best to bring down his older brother Prince William, and the institution he represents, proves it at every twist and turn.

William, the firstborn and heir to the throne, is also alleged to have had his staff ‘brief’ the press against his brother, if you believe Harry’s claims.

But they’re not the first children of a monarch to fall out in the family’s 1000-year history.

William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, must be wondering how they can stop history repeating itself with their own children George, Charlotte and Louis.

Because the Windsors have been blighted by sibling rivalry.

Edward, Duke of Windsor (R), with his wife the Duchess Wallis of Windsor, had a difficult relationship with his younger brother, King George VI. (Photo by – / AFP)

King George VI, Queen Elizabeth’s father, and his older brother King Edward VIII detested each other.

Edward gave up the crown in 1936 to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, in what was the most controversial love story of its age.

George had a speech impediment and had been ridiculed and humiliated by Edward, as he was growing up.

When he unexpectedly found himself King he got his revenge, banning all the royal family from attending Edward and Mrs Simpson’s wedding and denying her the title of Her Royal Highness – despite constant pleas for a change of heart from his brother – who was suddenly at the mercy of his younger brother.

Queen Elizabeth, who later became the Queen Mum, and her husband George VI, who was ridiculed by his older brother Edward. AFP PHOTO (Photo by AFP)

The rivalry continued, and when George suffered an illness, Edward even considered launching a bid to regain the crown again.

George’s daughter Elizabeth, then became next in line to the throne. While she and her younger sister Margaret loved each other, they also had their moments.

Margaret, regarded as more charismatic than her sensible older sister, was jealous of her sister’s status and even thought she would have been better suited as Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret drive from Buckingham Palace on their way to the first day's meeting of Royal Ascot. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)

When Elizabeth was Queen she ruled her sister could not marry the man she loved and remain a royal, because he was divorced and a pairing would have been scandalous at the time.

Margaret chose the family, but never got over the loss.

Now Charles is King he too wields enormous power over his siblings’ lives.

Charles’ younger brother Prince Andrew has been left bereft by the King’s decision to uphold a ban on him returning to royal duties following his alleged involvement in a sex scandal.

Meanwhile, Charles’s other brother Prince Edward may also be a bit peeved with reports suggesting he won’t get the title of Duke of Edinburgh, despite the family widely believing he would inherit it.

Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge, with Prince William and Prince Harry in a running race. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)

It is understood that it is now being saved for Princess Charlotte.

Like any CEO of a big corporation, Charles, like all the kings and queens before him, has to make decisions his nearest and dearest don’t like in the interest of the ‘business’.

He is the institution.

Harry, who has always been fiercely competitive with his brother, was never going to be able to stomach being told what to do by him.

The Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children. (Photo by Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace via Getty Images)

At a press call to highlight a mental health charity in 2017, he and his brother went head to head in a running race.

Harry won.

He also wanted to prove himself doing two tours of Afghanistan.

But Harry was never going to come out top in the sibling battle.

While Prince William and wife Kate must be licking their wounds following the Netflix saga, they must also be thinking what lessons can be learnt from this mess and how best can they prevent the same tragedy befalling their own children in the future.