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One of the biggest headlines since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal duties and moved to the U.S. has been their feud with Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton).

Now, someone who used to work for the family is weighing in on the royal rift and claiming that Prince William was completely done with the Sussexes when Meghan attacked his wife.

Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle attend a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey
Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle attend a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey | PAUL GROVER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Former staffer believes Meghan attacking Kate was ‘final straw’ for Prince William

Paul Burrell began working for the royal family when he was 18 years old and became one of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal footmen. In 1987, he was moved to the household of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana. He remained the princess’s butler until her death in 1997.

Burrell opined that the brothers’ relationship is likely beyond repair and thinks the last straw for William came when Meghan criticized Kate.

“The trouble is once things are said they can’t be taken back and people have been hurt,” Burrell told The Mirror US. “I think William is hurt because his wife has been criticized when she is above that. She’s never put a foot wrong.”

The former royal staffer claims Meghan’s “tittle-tattle” over Kate making her cry about bridesmaids’ dresses days before her wedding must have felt like a huge “betrayal.”

Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle proceed to greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle
Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle proceed to greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle | Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images

He continued: “Because, yes, [Harry] can have a fight with his brother and break a dog bowl. That’s what boys do, rough and tumble. But do not criticize Kate, who has sacrificed everything for this role to bring us an heir and to give him a queen. William doesn’t have a voice to support his wife and Harry knows that. And so this barbed criticism, heading towards Kate couldn’t be defended. And so it remains in the air as a truth.”

Burrell is referring to the incident Meghan brought up in her interview with Oprah Winfrey alleging that her sister-in-law made her cry over a fitting for Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress.

Another butler says it’s ‘sad’ to see Harry and William’s relationship become ‘non-existent’

Another royal family employee recently spoke about the situation between the Wales and the Sussexes and said it’s a shame how things turned out because the princes used to be “best friends.”

Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler from 2004 to 2011. During his time working for the monarch and his wife (formerly Camilla Parker Bowles), he also looked after and got to know Prince William and Prince Harry. Harrold remembered the siblings being very close which is why he thinks it’s all the more “sad” how things are today.

Prince Harry and Prince William when they were teenagers watching a parade on The Mall in London
Prince Harry and Prince William when they were teenagers watching a parade on The Mall in London | REBECCA NADEN/POOL WPA/AFP via Getty Images

Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, Harrold recalled: “I mainly worked with them when they were approaching their late teenage years and twenties. I liked the way they got on with each other. They were always having fun together and having banter. They played practical jokes and wound each other up, but it was harmless. They were best friends and they had the same friends, too. You’d see them in the pubs together. It was a great time for them.

“I remember going to the pub to meet them once. When I arrived, they called my name, I turned around and they were behind me. They were both very sociable boys. And that’s what’s so sad about it now, how they’ve gone from best of friends to non-existent really. They have become so distant. I know quite a few of Harry’s friends who don’t hear from him at all now either.”