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The world got to see two very different sides of Prince William this week – as the heir to the British shed tears of joy over his football team’s Europa League glory, just days after making a quiet announcement that insiders say will have “dramatic” repercussions for his brother, Harry.
As William happily enjoyed a night out in Istanbul on May 21 to watch his beloved Aston Villa win their first trophy in 30 years, he was notably with the “band of brothers” he once shared with his estranged sibling.
It was, perhaps, a stark reminder of how life has changed for the Duke of Sussex since he stepped back from royal duties for a new life in Montecito, California, with his former Suits actress wife, Meghan Markle.
Now, sources tell Woman’s Day how another – much less effusive – display from the Prince of Wales, just days before his footy match antics, has Harry and Meghan worried.
On May 18, it was announced that William is set to sell off 20 per cent of the property held by the Duchy of Cornwall – which provides him with private income of more than $AU37 million a year.
The property empire was inherited by William after Charles became King in 2022 – and it’s been reported that Harry was always envious of his brother’s windfall.
Now, William has committed to selling off a fifth of the estate, investing $AU940 million in tackling nature and housing crises instead.
“We’re not the traditional landowner… we want to be more than that. There is so much good we can do. I’m trying to make sure I’m prioritising stuff that’s going to make people’s lives, living in those areas, better,” the Prince said.
Except sources say that William’s quiet announcement holds significance for another reason too.
“This move to sell off part of the billion dollar land trust he inherited when his father became King so that he can invest hundreds of millions into helping solve the homeless crisis and support environmental causes is a great indicator of where his head and heart are at,” one insider tells Woman’s Day.
“It also shows that he’s getting things done, he’s putting things in place so that he can execute his vision and he’s clearly got real business chops.
“No doubt Harry and Meghan are watching with great envy, he’s making the sort of massive impact they bragged they were going to make when they launched Archewell but that fell flat,” the source goes on, adding that the couple doesn’t have the “endless resources” that William has to make promises a reality.
Perhaps most importantly, the insider says the move by William is an attempt to build “the exact sort of legacy” his and Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, “would be so proud of”.
“It’s also a real power flex, this is a big signal that he’s gearing up for his reign,” the source adds.
And this, it’s been claimed, is why Meghan and Harry have a sense of foreboding about what’s going on.
“William’s trying to conduct it all like a regular business matter and keep the spotlight off this for now, but everyone knows what this means, he’s preparing to take charge,” the source says.
“And the moment he does get control, whether that’s officially taking the throne, or just finally getting his father to come around to seeing his way and booting [Harry and Meghan] out, the curtain is going to come down on Harry and Meghan and William will do it with great pleasure.”
It’s an opinion echoed by a friend of William’s who told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden, “William will take a much harder line with Harry and Meghan when he’s King”, while declining to spell out exactly what that means.
Eden himself summed up the current situation succinctly.
“What we can deduce from this week’s radical announcement about the Duchy of Cornwall – as well as his intense display of emotion at the Aston Villa game in Istanbul – is that William will be different. And that whatever action he takes against the Sussexes, it will be dramatic.”
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