Prince William reportedly ended his long-time friendship with Tom Bradby after feeling “betrayed” by the royal correspondent.
So close were the pair, the now Prince of Wales granted Tom the first official interview upon his engagement to Kate Middleton at St James’s Palace on November 16, 2010. He and wife Claudia even attended their wedding the following year.
However, in the book William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, by royal reporter Russell Myers, it’s claimed that William cut ties with Tom after he interviewed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for ITV on their tour of southern Africa in 2019.
Tom followed the couple as part of an ITV documentary. Famously, he asked Meghan if she was OK, while Harry also admitted that he and brother William were “on different paths at the moment”.
It was the first time a rift between the brothers was seemingly confirmed publicly.
Just three months later, Harry and Meghan announced in January 2020 that they were standing down from royal duties for a new life in California.
A friendship left in tatters
At the time, the Daily Mail reported that royal advisors felt that Tom had taken advantage of Harry’s “clear vulnerability”.
“The friendship between William and Tom is over. The Prince feels let down by Bradby and the way he has acted over the past few months,” a source told the outlet.
“William is a sensitive soul and believes it’s in times of crisis when you find out who your true friends are. It would be fair to say Bradby hasn’t been one of them.”
Tom himself admitted to feeling “caught in the middle” of the siblings. He said it was a “deeply uncomfortable place to be”.
Russell’s book suggests William felt “betrayed and severely let down” by his supposed friend. A source said William “never thought [Tom] would take a side like he did”.
“As far as [William] was concerned, the friendship was over there and then,” they added.
Tom had been a trusted friend to both William and Harry for decades – alerting the brothers to the News of the World hacking scandal after details of their phone conversations were leaked to the press.
In the end, it was that same neutrality and commitment to journalism which put him offside with Prince William.
In May 2018, he attended Harry and Meghan’s nuptials at Windsor Castle.
He later praised the newlyweds as the “Royal Family’s natural rock stars”.
In January 2023, Harry invited Tom to the couple’s new home, in Montecito, California, USA, where he opened up about his no-holds-barred memoir, Spare.
It was the final nail in the coffin for his relationship with William, as Harry told the journalist his family was “complicit” in the “pain and suffering” inflicted on his wife.
