EXCLUSIVE: 'Paranoid' Prince William 'Planting Disinformation to Expose Estranged Brother Prince Harry's Palace Spies'
Prince William is allegedly planting disinformation to expose his estranged brother Prince Harry's palace spies.
Sept. 8 2026, Published 3:50 p.m. ET
Prince William is said to have become so suspicious about information reaching Prince Harry he is apparently testing who can be trusted inside royal circles by allegedly restricting – and potentially varying – sensitive details shared with different people.
RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal future King William, 44, is said to have become increasingly protective of information concerning his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44, and their children since Harry, 41, and his wife Meghan Markle, 45, returned to Britain last month with their kids Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
William Uses Fake News Traps To Catch Leaks
Prince William allegedly planted disinformation to expose Palace leaks.
Their return has brought the Sussexes geographically closer to William and King Charles III, 77, amid continuing tensions between the brothers.
A royal source exclusively told Radar: "William has become exceptionally cautious about the information circulating around him. There is a feeling that if slightly different details are shared within different circles and one particular version subsequently emerges elsewhere, it becomes much easier to establish the route it may have taken.
"This isn't necessarily about believing there is some coordinated network of people secretly reporting to Harry. William knows his brother spent decades within the institution and retains personal relationships with people across royal life. His concern is that information can move informally through conversations and eventually reach somebody it was never intended for.
"That has created an atmosphere of suspicion. William's instinct is increasingly to keep the circle around Catherine and the children extremely tight because those are the people whose privacy he is most determined to protect."
Inside The Toxic Palace Paranoia
Prince William focused on protecting Catherine and their children’s privacy.
Another palace source said: "Harry would find the suggestion that he has informants secretly feeding him Palace intelligence absurd. There are people he has known for most of his life, and relationships don't automatically disappear because he stopped being a working royal.
"The problem is that trust between the brothers has deteriorated so dramatically that perfectly ordinary contact can now be interpreted as something suspicious, and William is testing the waters by trying to use disinformation to plug any leaks, as there are still fears Harry has palace 'spies' at work for him."
Harry and Markle dramatically stopped being working royals in 2020 after their proposed arrangement combining royal duties with greater financial independence was rejected.
Relations worsened following their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan and Harry's memoir Spare.
In the book, Harry described deeply personal disputes with William, including an alleged physical confrontation at Nottingham Cottage.
William has largely declined to publicly address his brother's claims.
Charles Reconnects With Son Harry
Harry maintained that he still considers himself part of the royal family.
Harry's relationship with Charles has since improved, with father and son re-establishing contact.
During a visit to Ukraine, Harry said: "I will always be part of the Royal Family, and I'm here working and doing the very thing that I was born to do. And I enjoy doing it."
The Sussexes' return to Britain has not, however, restored Harry and Meghan's status as working royals.
William remains particularly protective of Catherine and their children – Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight.
Kate Steps In To Stop The Feud
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The Princess of Wales sought to keep the royal rift from dividing the household.
Catherine is said to favor a less confrontational approach when it comes to relations with the Sussexes, and sources tell us she is determined not to let the brothers' estrangement to create further divisions throughout the wider royal household.
A royal source said: "Catherine's instinct is one of diplomacy. She doesn't believe that allowing suspicion to spread throughout the household is going to repair anything between William and Harry. If anything, she worries it risks dragging more people into a dispute that fundamentally belongs between two brothers.
"She understands why William is fiercely protective of their family's privacy after everything that has happened, and she would never dismiss those concerns. But Catherine's preference is to lower the temperature rather than create new dividing lines inside the Palace.
"Catherine doesn't want people who have known both William and Harry for years to feel they suddenly have to demonstrate their loyalty to one brother by cutting themselves off from the other.
"From Catherine's perspective, the relationship is already damaged enough. The last thing she wants is for that estrangement to ripple outward and create separate camps throughout the wider family and royal household. She would much rather see relationships gradually repaired than another round of confrontation."
