William ‘angry’ at Harry’s lack of respect for Queen Kate

Prince William is mourning the collapse of his relationship with his brother Harry, his friends have revealed.

The extent of the explosive rift is exposed in highly revealing Daily Mail interviews with sources who know William intimately.

They say relations between the once close pair are still at “bottom” – with little chance of improvement in the near future.

“William alternates between crying for what he lost and feeling really, really angry about what his brother did,” an insider said.

“He really loves Harry and feels he’s lost the only person other than his wife who understood this strange life of theirs. But he thinks there are things you don’t do. And Harry crossed that line 100 per cent.”

William also thinks Harry has ‘disrespected the Queen and her family’, a friend said.

Sources close to the second in line to the throne – who is due to celebrate his 40th birthday next week – reveal that while William once railed against his future, he is now more at peace with himself than ever.

His marriage to Kate is solid and fatherhood has given him contentment beyond his dreams.

Even her relationship with her father, Prince Charles, which has been deeply troubled over the years, is more harmonious than it has been since her teenage years.

A close friend said: ‘He loves being a dad and having an established family around him. Having children always puts things into perspective, and doubly so for him.

“No matter what happens ‘at work’, he needs to go home and be a ‘normal’ person for the sake of his children, which has made him more at peace with the reality of his other life.”

Another adds of him and Kate: “Honestly, they couldn’t be happier as a couple. You can’t get a cigarette paper between them.

“They are so close, just inseparable. When you talk to William, he’s actually quite puritanical in his attitude when talking about his parents’ marriage and what went wrong.

“It hugely affected how he approached his own relationship with Catherine and why it took him so long to settle down. He wanted it to be with the right person and [for it to last] still. William is still very protective of his wife. According to him, she is as important to the institution as he is. He genuinely admires the way she just digs in her heels and sticks to them.

Yet her strained relationship with her brother inevitably comes into play.

It’s clear that they still have a long way to go before they can even begin to assuage the bad blood between them.

Matters are complicated by the prospect of Harry’s memoir coming out later this year in a multi-million deal that will continue to “throw dust in the family’s face”.

When asked if they thought William would ever mend his bond with Harry, a friend replied: “That’s a difficult question to answer. The truth is that they have to find common ground again at some point. But William is also very principled and thinks Harry has crossed a line.

“He threw in charge after charge, knowing that silence is the family’s only option because they don’t want to be drawn into a public name-calling match. He sees how upset his father was by all of this, and it hurts.

“William is absolutely allergic to drama but Harry made sure their family laundry was broadcast globally.”