From brothers to enemies, how long will this royal feud last?

Is interpersonal conflict more common in people who started off very close?The most extreme version of interpersonal conflict can result in violence, a shocking statistic shows that 24.8% of murder victims are killed by someone related to them. Obviously very few interpersonal conflicts result in such extreme outcomes but even small conflicts like bickering with your sibling can have a big effect on your life. Sibling rivalry is a typical example of interpersonal conflict, but why do siblings feel such need to be in competition? “As human beings we’re oriented towards comparison” says Shawn D Whitehead. It seems that because siblings grow up together and are in the same environment/household for a long period of their life, it is inevitable that there will be some kind of competition. Siblings seem to be able to find anything to fight about, hobbies, academia, who's the favourite child or even more extreme things like how much responsibility each should carry. One recent example of extreme sibling rivalry is between the royal brothers Harry and William but their conflict is a little more than just bickering. 

 
 Although we often perceive conflict as negative it's not always necessarily a bad thing. The word conflict automatically makes you think of violence,discomfort, tension and even war, however it can also have a positive effect. The bad side of conflict is usually the first and only side we decide to see but its not the only side conflict has. For example, without conflict and people standing up for themselves, we wouldn't get anywhere with simple human rights and everyone would just hide away not wanting to unbalance the peace. However sometimes you have to pick a fight before you get acknowledged or understood. How about those situations when conflict made you question your decisions and think of something in a light you hadn't thought about and therefore resulting in positive change. Or it can even bring something up that everyones too scared to talk about and only by bringing it to the surface can it be resolved. So when we consider interpersonal conflict, in this case, sibling rivalry, through the disagreement it can resolve in understanding and resolutions to the problem. 
 

Growing up William and Harry were very close, their mother would often take them to do typical childhood activities, like going to McDonalds or amusement parks to try give them a taste of normal life. Although the brothers were quite different as teenagers- Harry ‘impulsive and unpredictable’ and William ‘introverted and cautious’- they still seemed to get along well. After the separation of their parents they clung to each other, their relationship cemented by mutual need and shared experiences that they coil never really talk about to other people. This closeness also showed when their mother Diana tragically was killed in a car accident when the brothers were only 13 and 15. It was suggested that William should walk alone behind the coffin seeing as he was 15, but Harry refused to let his brother go through that alone and insisted on walking with him. Despite this brotherly connection growing up their bond started to unravel when Harry got married to Meghan Markel and their rather different opinions and personalities started to get in the way.
 
 In November 2018 there were rumours that Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton were not getting along but that was quickly corrected by royal reporter Katie Nichol that it was actually Harry and Will who weren’t getting along. According to Katie there was conflict because Harry told Will he wasn't doing enough to include Meghan in the royal family and that is where the fighting started to begin. It is said that William was concerned that Harry's relationship was going too fast and expressed this to Harry, however Harry  took it as a criticism and stated “your trying to wreck the relationship before it has even started” As time went on the brothers relationship got worse and and worse to the point where Harry has claimed William attacked him over the same argument about Meghan.Things between them has been on and off for years, but the tension remains. It has now got to the point where the brothers are no longer talking. 

Seeing as the brothers were so close as children it was almost as if there was more opportunity for something to go wrong. Because growing up they went through so much they got to know each other very well and and as a result of that, knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses. As siblings, especially royal ones, as said before there is always some kind of competition. Harry was always compared to his brother, his family would call him the “spare” meaning backup to the heir but Harry obviously always felt like a bit of an outsider. When Harry left the royal family to go to America, Will then had a lot more responsibility and pressure, he is the next in line after all. Harry moving away was another strain on their relationship, Harry describes it as “in some ways he was my mirror,in some ways he was my opposite. My beloved brother, my arch nemesis, how had that happened?” The brothers have had conflict for almost 7 years now and it may be another 7 yet to come before there is peace between them again. 
 
Are you more likely to have conflict with someone if you started off very close? In my opinion yes, in this case with William and Harry, as stated before, they initially were very close meaning more opportunity for something to go wrong. For example if you are extremely close with someone and you never fight, because you know each other so well there has probably been something bubbling under the surface for a while and its likely that it has to come out at some point. With a sibling you are around them so often, it is inevitable for some conflict to happen,you see your sibling in most states and in some ways it makes a strong connection between you but in others knowing them so well can be what tears you apart. Even for such close brothers like William and Harry, they still couldn't manage to keep the peace forever. Maybe we fight less with the people we don't know as well but the conflict that comes up with the people you're close with might not necessarily always be a bad thing.