While Prince Harry and Prince William enjoyed a childhood filled with grandeur and royal residences — from Kensington Palace to Balmoral Castle — it
While Prince Harry and Prince William enjoyed a childhood filled with grandeur and royal residences — from Kensington Palace to Balmoral Castle — it wasn’t all formal affairs and royal protocol. In his memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex opens up about a more chaotic and unfiltered side of their upbringing: the summers they spent at a non-royal country estate that brought out their most primal sibling instincts.
The location, he revealed, was the private home of family friends Hugh and Emilie — “old friends of Pa’s,” as Harry described them. Each summer, the royal brothers would spend one or two weeks there during school holidays, but the visits were far from peaceful.
“They had four sons with whom Willy and I were always thrown together,” Harry wrote. “Like pups into a bunch of pit bulls.”
Wild Sibling Rivalry and Brutal Brawls
Harry described the annual visits as nothing short of a battleground. Physical fights were not just expected — they were the norm.
“Hair-pulling, eye-gouging, arm-twisting, sleeper holds — all was fair in love and war and at Hugh and Emilie’s country house,” he recalled.
Despite the relentless roughhousing, Harry often found himself rising to his brother’s defense. When William cried out during the skirmishes, Harry’s protective instincts kicked in with full force.
“Down would come the red mist, like a blood vessel bursting behind my eyes,” he admitted. “I’d lose all control, all ability to focus on anything but family, country, tribe — and hurl myself at someone, everyone.”
A Conflicted Sense of Brotherhood
Though the scuffles would eventually die down, Harry said the emotional aftermath left him with complex feelings — a mix of fierce love and lingering shame.
“When the scrap finally ended for good, when we hobbled away together, I always felt such love for him, and I sensed love in return,” he wrote. “But also some embarrassment. I was half Willy’s size, half his weight. I was the younger brother — he was supposed to save me, not the other way around.”
A Glimpse Behind Palace Walls
These raw, candid memories provide a stark contrast to the carefully curated public image of royal life. Far from polished appearances and ceremonial duties, Harry’s recollections paint a picture of two young boys fighting, bonding, and navigating the complexities of brotherhood — just like any siblings, albeit with the weight of royalty on their shoulders.
Through this unfiltered glimpse into their childhood summers, Harry once again reminds readers that behind the palace gates were real, messy, emotional moments that shaped who he is today.
