Prince Harry has come under fire twice in as many days after being accused of trying to ‘upstage’ his older brother, Prince William, during his historic visit to Brazil
15:00, 09 Nov 2025Updated 15:59, 09 Nov 2025
Harry has been hit with controversy again this week, accused of trying to ‘upstage’ his brother, William(Image: PA)
Prince Harry has come under fire this week after being forced to deny trying to upstage his brother and penning an essay on what it means to be British – despite having fled the UK on a ‘freedom flight’. And now he’s been spotted partying while other royals honour the fallen at Remembrance events.
The Duke of Sussex, who touched down in Canada for a quasi-royal tour on Thursday, raised eyebrows with a think-piece titled ‘The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What it means to be British – By Prince Harry’, despite now living in the US. He fondly recalled how the “banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands” are the very “things that make us British”, adding, “I love it.”
But behind the romanticism, one behavioural expert has suggested that the essay contains several clues about his future plans. Judi James has drawn attention to one paragraph in particular written by Harry, which reads: “Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for. The banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it.”
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The Duke of Sussex has been in Toronto, Canada, this week and has been meeting veterans(Image: Laura Proctor/True Patriot Love/Pa Wire)
She told the Mirror: “‘Though currently, I may live in the United States,’ is the fascinating line though, both for its wording and its use of punctuation. ‘Though I now live in the United States’ would be a statement of non-negotiable fact. But Harry adds ‘currently’ and ‘may’ to make it sound less fixed and solid. The use of the word ‘currently’ sounds negotiable, appearing to hint at a return to the UK. It’s a word that leaves things open, like: ‘I’m currently single’ would imply a desire to get married or ‘I’m currently unemployed’ would suggest someone is searching for work.”
Judi continued: “It sounds like a teaser in terms of a return to the UK… Harry’s choice of wording hints that he’s not only possibly homesick but that a return of some sort might be on the horizon.”
Harry is currently on a trip meeting veterans in Toronto(Image: Copyright Laura Proctor 2025, all rights reserved)
She also believes that his statement hints at a pining for Prince William – who he is currently estranged from. “Harry was a man who grew up and cut his teeth on banter, especially with his brother William,” Judi explained. “Interviews back in the day show their banter together was relentless and there is a suggestion that in promoting the word so strongly and emphatically here Harry is implying (perhaps subconsciously) how much he misses his older brother.”
As for Meghan, Judi says the essay makes it clear that he finds life in the US somewhat lacking. “He sounds embarrassed by this ‘reveal’ though,” she says. “By adding ‘ridiculous as it sounds’ he seems to be apologising to his US audience, perhaps even to his own family for this admission of nostalgia and what sounds like a sense of longing. This is an important-sounding admission too. Most ex-pats yearn for jars of Marmite or English tea bags, but Harry is letting everyone know, including Meghan here, that he’s missing a kind of shared, intense, complex humour that he might not be able to get in the US.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the Prince of Wales at the Cop30 summit(Image: Mauro Pimentel/PA Wire)
The explosive missive came less than 24 hours after Harry’s motives were called into question when he announced his own tour to Canada just minutes after his older brother William completed his first engagement in Brazil on Monday. His visit to Toronto to meet with veterans, members of the armed forces community and military charities coincides directly with William’s major visit to Brazil for the fifth anniversary of his Earthshot Prize – something royal commentator Victoria Arbiter described as “inevitable if not predictable” on X.
She noted how in 2022 during William’s visit to Boston for the awards, the trailer for Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series dropped. Similarly, in 2023, while William was attending the Earthshot ceremony in Singapore, Harry delivered a message at the Stand Up for Heroes event in New York City.
Prince Harry in a Scotty’s Little Soldiers scarf(Image: PA)
And again, in November 2024, while his brother championed the Awards in Cape Town, Harry also made a surprise appearance at the Pat Tillman Foundation’s 20th annual Tillman Honours gala in Chicago. A social media user commented: “Funny how Harry’s ‘announcements’ ALWAYS coincide with Earthshot Awards.” Another added: “Very predictable like clockwork.”
The announcement also revealed that the Duke would be carrying out engagements at the same time as William; Harry’s visit begun on the same day as William’s 2025 Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony, which took place on November 5 at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro.
During William’s trip to Brazil this week, one journalist speaking the future King alluded to the scandal engulfing Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and William’s strained relationship with Harry and Meghan. However, the prince diplomatically avoided getting dragged into commenting on either, instead telling the crowd in Brazil he wants to surround himself “with people who do good”.
The Prince of Wales speaking during the COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil on Thursday(Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
Meanwhile, on Thursday evening, Harry joined veterans for the True Patriot Love’s National Tribute Dinner in Toronto. He gave a speech about his personal tie with Canada’s military and lightheartedly apologised for wearing an LA Dodgers cap at the World Series with Meghan last week instead of sporting a Toronto Blue Jays cap.
Harry explained the reasoning behind his cap choice, joking: “Oh the LA Dodgers hat, hatgate. Firstly, I would like to apologise to Canada for wearing it. I was under duress, there wasn’t much choice, I was invited to the LA Dodgers box or the dugout by the owner himself so I thought I was doing what was the polite thing to do.” He then humoursly added: “But the other piece to this was… when you’re missing a lot of hair on top and you’re sitting under floodlights, you’ll take any hat that’s available.”
On Saturday night, as Princess Kate and Prince George joined the King and Queen at the poignant Festival of Remembrance in London to honour the sacrifices of our armed forces, Harry was out partying the night away with Meghan at Kris Jenner’s James Bond themed birthday party.
Harry and Meghan at Kris Jenners’ birthday bash(Image: The Hollywood JR / BACKGRID)
The pair were seen looking swanky heading into the glamorous 70th birthday bash, held at billionaire Jeff Bezos’ £125million mansion in Beverly Hills. Guests including Bill Gates, Adele and Justin Bieber joined Kris and her famous children to celebrate. Harry wore a classic black tuxedo with a crisp white shirt and a poppy, while Meghan opted for a long-sleeved black turtleneck top, teamed with a black maxi skirt with a thigh high slit.
After backlash about the timing of the Toronto trip this week, Harry’s team in California issued a statement firmly denying that he had purposely tried to overshadow his brother’s royal tour. Diary clashes have long been frowned upon in the royal household and are said to have been one of the agenda points when Harry’s team met King Charles‘ team for peace talks this summer.
The Duke of Sussex speaking at the True Patriot Love’s National Tribute Dinner in Toronto(Image: Laura Proctor/True Patriot Love/PA Wire )
His spokesperson said that Harry’s overseas trips can only be announced at certain times on the advice of personal security advisors since he is “not afforded the same level of security and protection as other working members of the Royal Family“. A spokesperson also said that Harry is in Canada this week for Remembrance events – the dates of which Harry has no power over.
They said: “The events were planned nearly a year ago. The date of the main event, the dinner, is set by the charity, not Prince Harry. The period of Remembrance tide traditionally extends from the 1-11 November and has done since 1918, over 100 years. He can’t choose to move those dates.”
The spokesperson continued: “We are always guided – as to when we can announce trips like this, by the advice given to us by his private security advisers and the event’s security team. This visit, months in the planning, marks a return to a city that has a special place in the Duke’s heart, having played host to the Invictus Games back in 2017.”
An expert has revealed that Harry’s love letter to the UK seems to have a hidden message to Meghan(Image: WireImage)
Buckingham Palace has not commented on the clash but one royal expert believes it doesn’t spell good news for the royal reunion Harry has said he hopes for. Tom Sykes, royal correspondent for the Daily Beast, wrote in his newsletter that royal insiders were far from impressed by the timing of Harry’s announcement, with one former aide quoted as saying, “It’s not subtle.”
The move is also alleged to have “raised tempers” with “William’s friends”. He wrote: “Harry’s decision to stage a public event during the traditional Remembrance period will strike many observers as needlessly antagonistic. To many inside and outside the royal machine, Harry will appear motivated by resentment and a desire for revenge rather than respect for the Remembrance calendar. If so, it is a miscalculation – and a reminder that the brothers’ ceasefire remains anything but secure.”