Prince William and Prince Harry tribute removed from London landmark amid bitter feud
Prince Harry's relationship with Prince William has deteriorated over the recent years
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An official portrait of Prince William and Prince Harry will no longer be on display at the National Portrait Gallery as their family feud continues.
The painting, by Nicky Philips was unveiled 13 years ago and hung in the gallery in London prior to its £35million three-year refurbishment.
The central London gallery is set to reopen later this month but the portrait showing the royals as close friends has been removed.
It comes as the family dispute between the brothers continues, with no sign of reconciliation despite Harry's claims earlier this year that he is "open" for a chat about their past.
An official portrait of Prince William and Prince Harry will no longer be on display at the National Portrait Gallery
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The painting was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery in 2008 and shows the two princes, both in their 20s at the time, wearing the dress uniform of the Blue and Royals.
William and Harry were captured at the artist's home in South Kensington during a much less tumultuous point in their relationship, as Philipps recalls they were "so sweet, so close."
At the time Sandy Nairne, the director of the gallery, said: "The first portrait of the princes captures them formally dressed, but informally posed.
"It is a delightful image, which extends the tradition of royal portraiture."
The decision to remove the painting was not made by the Royal Family, according to The Times.
Harry married his wife Meghan Markle in 2018 before the couple made the decision to step down as working royals and move to California just two years later.
His relationship with William has deteriorated over the recent years, with Harry alleging in his book Spare that William physically attacked him during a fight in 2019.
A National Portrait Gallery spokesman told the Express: "Decisions relating to the portraits on display at the National Portrait Gallery are made by the gallery’s curatorial team.
William and Harry's portrait was captured during a much less tumultuous point in their relationship
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"With over 250,000 portraits in our collection, we are only able to display a small percentage within our building.
"However, as one of the world’s largest and most important collections of portraits, we regularly lend and tour our works, both nationally and internationally.
"This portrait by Nicky Philipps was included in a touring exhibition, Tudors to Windsors, which travelled between 2018 and 2021. The portrait was last displayed at the gallery between March and August 2018."