According to a bombshell new book, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s popularity in the wake of their engagement may have seen Prince William and Kate “unconsciously raise their game” with William carrying out a bold move

Prince William was ‘affronted’ by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s previous popularity and debuted a dramatic change after being “put out”, a new bombshell book has claimed.

The two brothers have long been embroiled in a bitter feud and in Harry’s controversial memoir Spare, he claims he had a competitive relationship with the heir to the throne when they were younger.

When Harry became engaged to now-wife Meghan in 2017, the couple received glowing coverage with their popularity soaring in the months after and the lead-up to their royal wedding in May 2018. And according to a new book, William and wife Kate may have “unconsciously raised their game”, especially as the now Prince of Wales was “put out” when the Sussexes had an engagement that clashed with his.

In his new book, Catherine, The Princess Of Wales : The Biography, which is being serialised in The Mail On Sunday, author Robert Jobson writes that at first, “public reaction to Meghan was overwhelmingly positive, with ‘the new kids on the block’ hogging most of the headlines”.

And the author claims that William was “put out” when Harry and Meghan were slotted in for a morning engagement in Cardiff in January 2018, which clashed with one of his later that day – and decided to debut a dramatic change. The extract says: “Competitive by nature, even when it comes to media coverage, he [William] chose that same afternoon to debut a new and dramatic buzz-cut during a visit to a London hospital.”

The book claims that William “expected to be treated with deference due to his place in the succession”. And adds: “Some members of Charles’s household were amused that William had felt so affronted. After all, the prince rarely showed much deference to his father.”

Meanwhile, the extract also claims that William “sought assurances” that Meghan Markle would not wear any of Princess Diana’s jewellery when she wed Prince Harry amid concerns over their match. It has long been claimed that William was keen for his brother to take it slow when he first started dating former Suits star Meghan in 2016. In Spare, Harry recalled major tension with his brother as he planned his wedding to his wife.

And now Mr Jobson claims that relations between the two brothers before the 2018 nuptials worsened – with William wanting assurances from their grandmother the Queen that Harry’s bride would not wear their late mother’s jewellery – even though his wife Kate has Diana’s striking sapphire engagement ring. Although Meghan did not wear any of Diana’s jewellery during the wedding ceremony, she famously wore her aquamarine cocktail ring to her evening reception along with her Stella McCartney halterneck dress.

Less than two years after the wedding, Harry and Meghan sensationally quit their royal roles and the UK for a new life in America – and now their relationship with William and Kate appears to be at rock bottom. Their rift was exacerbated by the criticism Harry levelled at them in his Netflix documentary as well as Spare.

In the Netflix docuseries, Harry accused his brother of leaving him “terrified” when he began “screaming and shouting” at him during the infamous Sandringham Summit. While in Spare, Harry claims that a physical confrontation took place between him and William at Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace in 2019.

On recent trips back to the UK, Harry has not met with his brother and they did not sit together at the Coronation. And according to Mr Jobson’s new book, when it comes to Harry as far as William is concerned “there is no way back”. The Mirror has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.