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‘We’ll Always Be Brothers.’ Prince Harry Discusses His Relationship With Prince William

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is addressing his relationship with his brother in a new documentary.

While speculation circulated over the royal brothers’ relationship for the last couple of years, now Prince Harry is discussing the questions in the ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which premiered in the U.K. on Sunday and will arrive in the U.S. this Wednesday.

When journalist Tom Bradby asked how much of the “press about rifts with your brother” had been accurate, Prince Harry acknowledged that royal life isn’t always easy on the bond.

“Part of this role, part of this job, this family, being under the pressure which it’s under, inevitably stuff happens. But we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers,” the new 35-year-old father said of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

“We’re certainly on different paths at the moment,” he continued. “I’ll always be there for him and as I know, he’ll always be there for me. We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy but I love him dearly.”

 

When Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, moved to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor this spring, the “Fab Four” became two separate royal courts, a move some interpreted as a sign of discord. The Sussexes have also announced they were leaving the charity they shared with Prince William and Catherine in June. While the four continue their joint work with the Royal Foundation’s mental health initiative, Heads Together, Prince Harry and Meghan are developing their own foundation.

But Prince Harry says the speculation is mostly just that. “The majority of stuff is created out of nothing. As brothers, we have good days and we have bad days,” he said in the documentary, which was filmed during their official tour in Africa.

The Duke Of Cambridge And The Duke Of Sussex Take Part In The King Power Royal Charity Polo Day
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex take part in the King Power Royal Charity Polo Match for the Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Polo Trophy at Billingbear Polo Club on July 10, 2019 in Wokingham, England.Max Mumby—Indigo/Getty Images

And it wasn’t so surprising for the four to separate, after all, experts say. “The fact that they’re separating is not a big deal,” Marlene Koenig, a historian and expert on the British royal family, told TIME in an interview at the time. “They’re just [on] two different career paths.”

In fact, it’s uncommon for royal siblings to run foundations together, Koenig said, calling the Royal Foundation split a “natural progression” for the family. And Katie Nicholl, the author of Harry and Meghan: Life, Loss, and Love, previously told TIME that the brothers are simply on different roads professionally. “I think this is all about them pursuing different trajectories,” Nicholl said. “While they might be sentimental about the whole thing, they also have to be pragmatic, and this makes sense.”

While Prince Harry is sixth in line for the British throne, his brother will be the immediate heir when Charles, Prince of Wales, becomes king. Since the Duke of Sussex is likely never to ascend to the throne, he and Meghan have a bit more freedom when it comes to their approach to royalty.

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Write to Rachel E. Greenspan at rachel.greenspan@time.com