In good times and bad. Prince William and Princess Kate have each other’s back despite ongoing royal family drama.
“No marriage is perfect, including Kate and William’s and they’ve certainly had their ups and downs over the years,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly of the Prince of Wales, 40, and the Princess of Wales, 41. “They bicker like most couples and have recently been under pressure dealing with the drama surrounding Prince Harry.”
The insider notes that the pair’s marital struggles have also been heightened by “nonstop” royal duties, taking care of their three children — Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — and preparing for King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday, May 6.
“Regardless of the obstacles, the couple always pulls through,” the source adds. “They’re in a marvelous place in their lives and squeezed in some valuable time together to mark their 12th anniversary.”
The former RAF pilot and Kate initially met as undergraduate students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. After several years of dating, the pair wed in April 2011.
Amid the twosome’s royal romance and life with their little ones, they eventually found themselves at odds with the Duke of Sussex, 38, upon his marriage to Meghan Markle. Ahead of Harry and Meghan’s 2019 nuptials, the Waleses officially separated households from the future newlyweds. (Harry, the Suits alum, 41, William and Kate had previously been dubbed the “Fab Four” due to their frequent group appearances.)
The Invictus Games founder went on to claim in his Spare memoir, which was released in January, that William had called his sister-in-law “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive” during a sibling fight.
“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast,” Harry alleged in a passage from his debut book. “He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dogs’ bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”
William, for his part, has not publicly addressed the alleged physical altercation, though a second insider told Us that the Duke of Cambridge saw the Spare claims as the “ultimate betrayal.”
“William thinks Harry is delusional making these crazy allegations,” the source told Us in January. “The trust between the two brothers is completely broken.”
Following the release of Spare and Harry’s Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries, the two brothers — who are the children of Charles, 74, and the late Princess Diana — have not spoken.
“My understanding is there have been no discussions between Harry and William. That is absolutely radio silence,” royal expert Nick Bullen exclusively told Us last month. “It’s a very big void.”
According to fellow royal reporter Omid Scobie earlier this month, Harry has had “somewhat” regular contact with the king.
William and Kate are set to reunite with the Archewell cofounder — who shares Prince Archie, 3, and Princess Lilibet, 23 months, with Meghan — at Charles’ coronation on Saturday. The “Archetypes” podcast host, for her part, will not be joining the royals as the crowning ceremony falls on son Archie’s fourth birthday. Meghan will instead remain home with her kids to celebrate Archie’s special day.
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It is not known how Harry will be included in the coronation, though William and his brood are expected to have official roles. William and the duchess are set to walk in the procession to Westminster Abbey on Saturday before the Duke of Cornwall presents Charles with the Stole Royal and the Robe Royal in the ceremony.
