Prince William 'cut himself off from the world' after Prince Harry's shock move

Prince William was reportedly 'sick with worry' over Prince Harry's surprise move to do a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

The Prince of Wales is believed to have "cut himself off from the world" as Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, prepared to sit down with Oprah.

"I’ve heard this for a long time now from many different sources … in the lead-up to that Oprah interview, William was quite literally sick with worry," Charlotte Griffiths, editor-at-large for the Mail on Sunday, revealed on GB News.

"He was not eating, and he became – not reclusive – but he definitely was hiding away,” she alleged. “He went to a royal residence for a period of time to cut himself off from the world. He was just in bits, basically."

RELATED:

• Prince William and Kate's rare PDA during King's Scottish Coronation

• Roger Federer ‘breaks royal protocol’ with Kate Middleton at Wimbledon

• Andy Cohen blasts 'insane rumour' about Meghan Markle: 'Of course she did'

Griffiths added that it was then that Kate Middleton became more protective of William, "And what Kate was doing was standing by her man. Kate was like: ‘I’ve got to stick up for this guy and protect him. He’s being destroyed by this,’ and that probably made her quite steely, even though she has this reputation for being shy."

It comes following reports the statement issued by the late Queen following the tell-all interview only included the statement "some recollections may vary" because Kate requested it be added in.

In an excerpt shared with The Times, Courtiers author Valentine Low claims that William and Kate, along with palace officials, got together to figure out how to deal with Harry and Meghan's allegations, including that Kate made Meghan cry in the lead-up to her wedding over bridesmaids dresses.

SHOP:

• Banish cellulite with the lotion shoppers are raving about: 'Loving it'

• Men can't stop raving about this premium skincare bundle: 'I can feel it working'

• This desk will save your back and boost your productivity: 'Next level'

"The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," the Queen's statement read at the time. "The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members."

Low claims the first version of the statement was "much milder", with Kate pushing for it to be "toughened up a bit".

According to the author, Kate is "playing the long game" as she will one day be Queen.

Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.

Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.