Jeremy Vine has suggested a controversial theory that Prince William may have played a role in the breakdown of his relationship with Prince Harry, arguing that public enthusiasm for Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding could have fueled tensions within the Royal Family.
During his Channel 5 programme, the broadcaster speculated that William and Kate—who were then known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge—or people connected to them may have wanted to diminish the Sussexes’ growing popularity.
Vine’s comments followed remarks from Harry earlier in the week, when the Duke of Sussex said that “some people don’t want to work it out”—a comment widely interpreted as a criticism of his elder brother.
Speaking to fellow panellists Richard Bacon, Narinder Kaur and Dawn Neesom, Vine outlined what he described as a theory that emerged at the time of the Sussexes’ 2018 wedding. He said the ceremony had been a major public success and that audiences had quickly embraced the couple.
Vine speculated that William and Kate—or, more likely, individuals acting for them—may have felt threatened and attempted to “take them down a peg or two”. In his words, the effort may have had consequences far beyond what was intended.
He argued that the resulting conflict led to intense negative publicity before Harry and Meghan ultimately stepped back from royal duties and moved away from the United Kingdom.
Jeremy Vine has put forward a disputed theory linking Prince William to the long-running rift with his brother, Prince Harry
Vine suggested that the widespread popularity of Harry and Meghan’s 2018 royal wedding may have created tensions with William
The Prince and Princess of Wales were photographed later that day before attending a state banquet for the Sultan of Oman
When Bacon referred to reports that the Sussexes and the Waleses had been briefing against one another, Vine said he did not believe Harry and Meghan had initiated the conflict. He claimed the couple had been subjected to extensive negative briefings, calling the situation “horrific”.
Vine was approached for a response and is understood to have been offering his own personal interpretation rather than stating an established fact.
The remarks were broadcast on the October 16 episode of Jeremy Vine on 5, but attracted renewed attention this week after a clip from the discussion was shared on X.
The video was posted alongside a comment questioning Vine’s reasoning and describing his suggestion as an unusual conspiracy theory. The post asked whether the presenter knew something that had not been made public.
The criticism continued by arguing that public opinion had turned against Harry and Meghan because of their own actions, rejecting Vine’s suggestion that the couple had done nothing wrong.
Online reaction to the broadcaster’s comments was sharply divided.
One critic accused Vine of displaying an anti-monarchy bias, writing that his comments revealed his true views and questioning how a television presenter could express such an opinion without consequence.
Another commenter dismissed the idea that William and Catherine would regard Harry and Meghan as a threat, pointing out that the couple are destined to become Britain’s future king and queen.
Not everyone rejected Vine’s explanation, however, with some social media users saying they believed rivalry may have contributed to the royal rift.
One person said they had long suspected that tensions began because William and Kate viewed the Sussexes as competition.
The commenter claimed the Sussexes had been expected to remain quiet and avoid challenging the established royal hierarchy, adding that their decision to respond publicly eventually turned them into major adversaries in the eyes of their critics.
Responding to the reaction today, Mr Vine told the Daily Mail: ‘It was a comment about the Harry and Meghan wedding all those years ago.
‘It always seemed that they got too popular and people on William and Kate’s side briefed against them – but what do I know?’
Mr Vine is not alone in suggesting that the Sussexes had been victims of a briefing war.
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Prince Harry’s 42-minute interview with GQ magazine, released this week, saw him take what was perceived to be a thinly veiled swipe at his brother
Harry’s comments had threatened to overshadow the Sultan of Oman’s state visit – but an unflustered King Charles praised William during a Windosr Castle state banquet this week
Prince Harry claimed in his 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan that he and his brother once had an agreement never to brief against one another in the press.
The deal had been borne out of watching their parents, the then-Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, feeding vicious dispatches to the media through friends.
But the Duke of Sussex alleged that William ultimately reneged on the pact, which led to the couples splitting their royal offices in 2019.
‘I have 30 years experience of looking behind the curtain, and seeing how the system works and how it runs,’ he said in the film.
‘I mean, just constant briefings about other members of the family, about favors, inviting the press in. It’s a dirty game.
‘William and I both saw what would happen in our dad’s office and we made an agreement that we would never let that happen to our office.
‘I would far rather get destroyed by the press than play along with this game, or this business of trading.
‘And to see my brother’s office copy the very same thing that we promised the two of us would never ever do, that was heartbreaking.’
Neither royal office has ever commented on Harry’s claims, and the brothers have not spoken in four years.
Harry stoked the dispute again this week by suggesting that his older brother ‘didn’t want to work it out’ when it came to reconciliation.
In a wide-ranging 42-minute video interview with GQ Magazine, the Duke said he was grieving his ‘complicated relationships’ with the King and the Prince of Wales.
Asked if he genuinely wanted to heal the rift with his family, Harry said: ‘Of course I do. With everything else that’s going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That’s the key point.’
Prince William with the Crown Prince of Oman in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle this week
Harry claimed in the 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan that William had broken a deal the brothers had never to brief against one another in the press
But in remarks widely interpreted as a dig at William, he added: ‘Some people don’t want it to work out. I want it to work out.’
A spokesman for the Sussexes has since insisted that the remark was not aimed at the Prince of Wales, insisting it was made ‘in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way’.
Harry’s comments had threatened to overshadow the Sultan of Oman’s state visit to Britain – but King Charles appeared relaxed as he heaped praise on William in his address to the Arabian royal at a lavish Windsor Castle state banquet on Tuesday.
The King told Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of his pride that ‘our sons’ – William and the Sultan’s son, the Crown Prince of Oman – had become joint patrons of the Jewel of Arabia cultural expedition in the region last year.
‘Your Majesty, there can be few happier symbols of success than a living relationship being passed from one generation to the next,’ he said.
While the Palaces have maintained an ever-dignified silence, Harry’s recent calls for peace have prompted eye-rolling behind the scenes.
‘Does he really think everyone has collective amnesia after the last few years?’ one source told the Daily Mail last week, after he and wife Meghan made their first public appearance following their surprise return to the UK.