Scobie explained: “[Their romance came] at the expense of the family image. It was felt that Harry was rushing into something that had serious blowback potential.”

Things reportedly started to escalate when Harry said he believed William was not making Meghan feel welcome.

Scobie claimed that’s when Palace leaks began to suggest William “truly didn’t like Meghan” as he had allegedly told aides and family members that he believed her to be too “opinionated”.

The Prince of Wales was also claimed to have had issues with how Harry’s wife interacted with his staff and the “drama” surrounding her family.

A source revealed to Scobie: “William shifted away from acting like a brother and became more like someone only focused [on the Crown].”

The book read: “William was always someone that brought kind of a ray of sunshine to royal engagements, he was happy, he was always willing to have a bit of banter with you, he was interested in the people around him,” the publication quoted the author as saying.

“And the man I see before me today is, of course, taking the job more seriously … But there’s a harder, almost more worn-down demeanour to William as well.”