Prince William has made light of tricky family relations amid the intensified rift between his brother, Prince Harry, and the rest of the Royal Family.
The Prince of Wales was speaking during a landmark first visit to an Army Air Corps (AAC) base at Wattisham.
After landing at the base on board a Wildcat reconnaissance helicopter, William toured the facility and spoke with soldiers and personnel stationed there.
During one of his chats, the Prince reflected humorously on the tensions that might arise between the soldiers and family members.
Prince William joked about family members not always wanting to see each other during a visit to to an Army Air Corps (AAC) base at Wattisham
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"Some of them might not want to see you that much," William quipped.
He added that family relations could often be a "mixed bag".
The comments immediately drew parallels to the rift that has formed between the Royal Family and his younger brother, Prince Harry.
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as working royals and moved permanently to the US in 2020.
William's comments drew immediate parallels to the rift with his brother, Prince Harry
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Since the couple stepped away, relations between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and William, King Charles and other family members have been frosty.
The feud has intensified in recent months, with Harry taking part in a bombshell BBC interview in which he was critical of the Royal Family.
Harry claimed that Charles "won’t speak to me," and that he did not know "how much longer my father has," in reference to the King’s ongoing cancer treatment.
In the last week, more pressure was piled on the already strained relationship as it emerged Harry had sought to change his family name.
William was at the AAC base in his capacity as the force's Colonel-in-Chief
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The Duke investigated dropping the name shared by William and King Charles, Mountbatten-Windsor.
Harry had sought to change his surname to Spencer, drawing from the maiden name of her and William’s mother, Princess Diana.
Recent developments have now suggested Harry had sought the name change after British officials repeatedly delayed issuing passports for his children, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie.
William was attending the AAC base in his capacity as Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment, a duty which is thought to have been previously earmarked for Harry before he broke with the Royal Family.
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William arrived at the base in the cockpit of a helicopter
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The Prince of Wales became Colonel-in-Chief of the AAC in May 2024, when the King officially handed over the role at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop.
After exiting the craft, he ditched flight gear for the AAC’s distinctive blue beret and toured the base.
The engagement marked Prince William's first royal duties after spending last week's half-term break with his children. The Prince and Princess of Wales did not undertake any engagements last week as their children were off school.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis returned to school this week and are expected to join their parents and King Charles for Trooping the Colour later this month.
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