Prince William Was 'Right' to Warn Prince Harry About Meghan Markle, Historian Claims

Some family arguments fade with time.

Others end up written into a bestselling memoir and picked apart by royal watchers for years afterwards.

The rift between Prince William and Prince Harry falls firmly into the second category, and a historian has now weighed in on how it all began.

According to royal historian Marlene Koenig, the brotherly advice Harry brushed aside back in 2017 has aged rather well. Her verdict: William was right to urge Harry not to rush into marriage.

Why Royal Historian Marlene Koenig Says Prince William Was Right About Meghan Markle

Speaking to the Mirror, Koenig argued that Prince William's warning to slow down with Meghan Markle reflected lessons the family had already learned the hard way.

Meghan was not comfortable with all the rules. William was right to advise Harry to take his time and not rush into marriage, Koenig explained. The family learned valuable lessons from the marital failures of Charles and Diana and Andrew and Sarah. Neither couple got to know each other well before the marriage. There were no real courtships.

Koenig contrasted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's rapid courtship with Prince William and Kate Middleton's decade-long relationship before their 2011 wedding.

What Prince William Really Told Harry About Meghan, According to 'Spare'

Harry gave his own account of that advice in his 2023 memoir 'Spare.' He recalled being desperate for William and Kate to meet Meghan early on, only for William to urge him to slow down.

She's an American actress after all, Harold. Anything might happen, Prince William said, according to Prince Harry's account.

Harry has stressed these are his own recollections of the conversation. He wrote that William had already been pretty discouraging about the relationship, before warning that a proposal would be too fast and that it was too soon to get engaged, asking him if he was sure about her and whether he knew how difficult it was going to be.

Harry recalled snapping back with a question of his own: What do you want me to do? Fall out of love with her?

A mutual friend of the brothers offered a more sympathetic reading of William's motives in 'Finding Freedom,' explaining that William just wanted to make sure that Harry was not blindsided by lust.

Inside the Physical Fight That Left Prince William and Prince Harry's Relationship 'So Broken'

Harry's detailed account of an alleged physical confrontation remains one of Spare's most explosive claims. He wrote that William arrived at Nottingham Cottage already piping hot to discuss the whole rolling catastrophe of their relationship with the press.

Harry says he told his brother, Willy, I cannot speak to you when you are like this, before William grabbed him by the collar, knocking him to the floor and causing him to land on a dog bowl that cracked beneath him.

William reportedly urged Harry to hit back, citing childhood fights, but Harry refused. William later returned, apologised, then asked Harry not to tell Meghan: You do not need to tell Meg about this. You mean that you attacked me? I did not attack you, Harold.

Harry wrote that he did not tell Meghan straight away, calling his therapist instead. When she later noticed the bruises, he wrote that she was terribly sad rather than angry.

Prince William has never publicly addressed the alleged confrontation or the wider feud. Roya Nikkhah, royal editor of The Sunday Times, described William as someone who does hold a grudge and does choose sides. If someone picks the other side, he remembers that.

British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital the royal father of three is known to take a harder line than some. She added that Prince William is fearless and has a strong moral character.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams claims the future British monarch finds his younger brother totally untrustworthy. A person familiar with the brothers' relationship has also claimed their relationship is 'so broken' that the royal siblings did not meet when the Sussexes made a UK trip earlier this month.

The royal rift between Prince William and Prince Harry has spanned nearly a decade, with both brothers offering their own accounts of the breakdown. Whether the historian's verdict that William's advice was sound holds weight, the feud shows no sign of abating, with sources suggesting the brothers remain deeply divided.