Jeremy Vine pushes bizarre conspiracy theory that William is to blame for fallout with brother Harry after plotting to take Duke of Sussex 'down a peg or two' out of jealousy

Prince William was to blame for the fallout with his brother Prince Harry because the Duke of Sussex's wedding to Meghan was so popular with the public, according to a bizarre theory put forward by Jeremy Vine.

The veteran broadcaster suggested on his Channel 5 show that William and Kate – then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – or others acting on their behalf sought to take Harry and Meghan 'down a peg or two' in a fit of jealousy.

His comments came amidst a storm over remarks by Harry this week suggesting that 'some people don't want to work it out', in what has been widely perceived as a swipe at his older brother. 

Addressing his panel of guests – broadcaster Richard Bacon, commentator Narinder Kaur and journalist Dawn Neesom – Mr Vine said: 'Our theory about it, which developed at the time, was that they [the Sussexes] had this sensational wedding, it went really well, we all fell in love with them.

'William and Kate got worried, either they or more likely people on their behalf thought "let's take them down a peg or two", and they accidentally broke the whole ladder.

'And you end up with just brutal publicity, and then they leave the country.'

Responding to Bacon's suggestion that the Sussexes and Waleses were 'briefing against each other', Mr Vine added: 'Oh, not against each other. These two did nothing wrong and they were briefed against like crazy. It was horrific.' 

Vine was contacted for comment, and is understood to have been expressing a personal opinion. 

The presenter made the comments on the October 16 edition of Jeremy Vine on 5, but they resurfaced this week after a clip of the show was posted on X.

'Strange thinking from Jeremy, unless he knows something the rest of us don't', read the post that accompanied the video, describing his thinking as a 'very strange conspiracy theory'.

It continued: 'The public turned on Harry and Meghan because of their own behaviour. The idea that they did nothing wrong is laughable.'

Reaction to Mr Vine's musings was split. 

One reply, addressed to the presenter, read: 'I knew you were anti monarchy but to say that out loud shows us what you really are its worrying that a TV presenter can be that biased and get away with it!'

'William and Catherine are future king and queen. They couldn't care less,' read another.

However, some felt that Mr Vine's theory was not so fanciful.

'I have suspected for a while now that this all started with William & Kate because saw the other 2 as competition,' read one reply. 

'They wanted to put Sussexes in their place & not overshadow them. The Sussexes were expected to shut up & comply not react. So they’re now public enemies 1 &2.'

Mr Vine is not alone in suggesting that the Sussexes had been victims of a briefing war. 

Prince Harry claimed in his 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan that he and his brother once had an agreement never to brief against one another in the press.

The deal had been borne out of watching their parents, the then-Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, feeding vicious dispatches to the media through friends.

But the Duke of Sussex alleged that William ultimately reneged on the pact, which led to the couples splitting their royal offices in 2019.

'I have 30 years experience of looking behind the curtain, and seeing how the system works and how it runs,' he said in the film. 

'I mean, just constant briefings about other members of the family, about favors, inviting the press in. It's a dirty game.

'William and I both saw what would happen in our dad's office and we made an agreement that we would never let that happen to our office.

'I would far rather get destroyed by the press than play along with this game, or this business of trading.

'And to see my brother's office copy the very same thing that we promised the two of us would never ever do, that was heartbreaking.'

Neither royal office has ever commented on Harry's claims, and the brothers have not spoken in four years.

Harry stoked the dispute again this week by suggesting that his older brother 'didn't want to work it out' when it came to reconciliation.

In a wide-ranging 42-minute video interview with GQ Magazine, the Duke said he was grieving his 'complicated relationships' with the King and the Prince of Wales.

Asked if he genuinely wanted to heal the rift with his family, Harry said: 'Of course I do. With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That's the key point.' 

But in remarks widely interpreted as a dig at William, he added: 'Some people don't want it to work out. I want it to work out.'

A spokesman for the Sussexes has since insisted that the remark was not aimed at the Prince of Wales, insisting it was made 'in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way'. 

Harry's comments had threatened to overshadow the Sultan of Oman's state visit to Britain – but King Charles appeared relaxed as he heaped praise on William in his address to the Arabian royal at a lavish Windsor Castle state banquet on Tuesday.

The King told Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of his pride that 'our sons' – William and the Sultan's son, the Crown Prince of Oman – had become joint patrons of the Jewel of Arabia cultural expedition in the region last year.

'Your Majesty, there can be few happier symbols of success than a living relationship being passed from one generation to the next,' he said.

While the Palaces have maintained an ever-dignified silence, Harry's recent calls for peace have prompted eye-rolling behind the scenes.

'Does he really think everyone has collective amnesia after the last few years?' one source told the Daily Mail last week, after he and wife Meghan made their first public appearance following their surprise return to the UK.