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Footage of Prince William's comments about Prince Harry following the birth of the latter's first child, Prince Archie, in 2019, has gone viral. There have been ongoing tensions between the brothers laid bare by Harry in his memoir, Spare, published in January.
The royal brothers' relationship has become subject of increasing public fascination as Harry revealed a number of tense exchanges between the pair in his record-breaking book. One was an alleged physical assault over Meghan Markle's treatment of palace staff in 2019.
Footage of William being asked by a reporter for his reaction to becoming an uncle for the first time in May 2019 has gone viral on social media, after being uploaded to TikTok. The footage was filmed just a day after Meghan gave birth to Prince Archie.
The footage was posted by user l0velycatherine on June 10. In it, William told the reporter on camera that he was "very pleased," and "Glad to welcome my brother to the sleep-deprivation society that is parenting."
The prince had welcomed his third child with Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, a year earlier in April 2018. His "sleep deprivation" commentary was made after fans pointed out William's tired appearance at a Westminster Abbey Anzac [Australian and New Zealand Army Corps] Day ceremony in London two days after the birth.
@l0velycatherine (Its actually 2 days*) Prince William struggles to keep his eyes open during Anzac Day service in London 2018. Parenting, as he labeled it as "sleep deprivation society," is very evident in the second clip. | #princewilliam #princeofwales #fyp ♬ original sound - Love William & Catherine x
The viral video contrasts the prince's comment with footage of him with closed eyes during that Anzac service. It has been viewed over 212,000 times on TikTok and received in excess of 24,000 likes, as well as numerous comments.
Many users have praised the royal's parenting and humor in response to the video. "They are hands on parents, which make them super awesome," wrote one.
"Catherine and William are such great parents," posted another, with a further comment reading: "Sleep deprivation society is wild."
In an extended version of the prince's response to the journalist, not shown in the TikTok video, William said: "We're obviously thrilled, absolutely thrilled. And looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down and I'm very pleased and glad to welcome my brother to the sleep-deprivation society that is parenting, so that will be fun!"
When asked if he had any advice for his younger brother, the prince said he hoped he would take time to enjoy being a new father. "Oh, there's plenty of advice, plenty of advice," William added.
"But, no, I wish him all the best and I hope, in the next few days, they can settle down and enjoy having a newborn in their family and all the sorts of joys that come with that."
Kate was attending the joint engagement with William to launch a sailing event. She also offered her wishes for her brother- and sister-in-law. "It's such a special time," she said. "And with [Prince] Louis and [Princess] Charlotte just having had their birthdays, it's such a great time of year to have a baby. And yes, spring is in the air, so it's really great. And, as William said, we're looking forward to meeting him and finding out what his name is going to be. It's really exciting for both of them [Harry and Meghan]."
In his memoir, and his six-part Netflix docuseries released in December 2022, Harry has described at length to fans the circumstances surrounding his decision to leave Britain and the monarchy with Meghan and Archie in 2020 to start a new life in the U.S.
One of his main strains is his relationship with William, something that has continued with Harry's revelation in a January 2023 interview promoting his book that he and William were not speaking.
The prince told CBS' Anderson Cooper that it had been "a while" since he and William had last spoken, but added: "I look forward to us being able to find peace."
The princes last attended an event together back in May, for King Charles III's coronation. However, there was no public interaction between the brothers at Westminster Abbey in London. Harry is reported to have left soon afterwards, with no reunion reported to have yet taken place.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more