Prince William jealous over the success of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, royal expert claims
Prince William is reportedly not thrilled with the success of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games.
Speaking in the ABC News special “Prince Harry’s Mission: Life, Family and Invictus Games,” now streaming on Hulu, British journalist Robert Jobson claimed that the success of the multi-sporting event — which was founded by the Duke of Sussex — has made William “jealous.”
“It’s been very successful since its outset,” Jobson said. “It doesn’t come cheap, it costs a lot of money, and [Harry has] been able to continue to raise that money throughout this period, which is impressive.”
“But I think there was a degree of jealousy about how well it had gone,” he added. “I do think that William was surprised how much this had been such a success and how much money was being thrown into it and how many governments were getting involved.”
The Games were created in 2014 by Harry when he still worked alongside his older brother and sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, as patrons of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
Meghan Markle, 42, then joined as the fourth patron after marrying Harry in 2018.
However, the two brothers split office in 2019 before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bowed out of senior royal duties and relocated to California the following year.
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Harry, 39, has continued his work with the Invictus Games and recently went skeleton sledding at a press event to promote the upcoming Games in Whistler, Canada.
The renegade royal also touched on William’s envy in his 2023 memoir, “Spare.“
Harry claims that the Prince of Wales, 41, “appeared supremely irritated” when he first heard of the idea for the Invictus Games, complaining that it would drain funds from their foundation.
Harry snapped back that the gripes were “absurd” and explained that the financing would come from the Endeavor Fund, a branch he “created specifically for the rehabilitation of veterans,” as well as donors.
He blamed William’s less-than-excited response on their “rivalry.”
He wrote, “I covered my eyes with my hands. Had we not gotten over that? All of that stuff about the Heir versus the replacement? Were we not a bit too old for that tiring, child-like dynamic?
“He was married and had a baby on the way,” Harry continued. “Meanwhile, I would order food alone and do my dishes in front of the sink. My father’s sink! I still lived with my dad, [King Charles III]. The game is over, man. You win.”
In a 2023 interview, Harry admitted that “there has always been this competition between us, weirdly.”
“I think it really plays into or is always played by the heir [and] spare [labels],” he said.
