Did royal rift start in Shropshire after Wills branded Prince Harry a snoring 'slob' at RAF Shawbury?
Prince Harry has lifted the lid on his time training as a pilot in Shropshire with Prince William in his tell-all memoir.
The Prince tells of the cosy cottage he and his brother "Willy", the future king, shared when they were training at RAF Shawbury, and the meals his father, the then Prince of Wales's, chef sent them.
He also shared frustration over Prince William branding him a snoring "slob" during a press interview in one of the hangars.
The Duke of Sussex's memoir is the country's fastest selling non-fiction book, and has made global headlines since it was released.
Talking of his time in Shropshire, Harry said: "I was living in Shropshire, with Willy, who was also training to become a pilot. He'd found a cottage ten minutes from the base, on someone's estate, and invited me to stay with him. Or maybe I invited myself?
"The cottage was cosy, charming, just up a narrow country lane and behind some thickly canopied trees. The fridge was stuffed with vacuum-packed meals sent by Pa's chefs. Creamy chicken and rice, beef curry. At the back of the house there were beautiful stables, which explained the horse smell in every room.
"Each of us enjoyed the arrangement: our first time living together since Eton. It was fun."
On the interview with the media at RAF Shawbury, he said: "While sharing that cottage we agreed to a rare joint interview, in an aeroplane hangar at Shawbury, during which Willy griped endlessly about my habits. Harry's a slob, he said. Harry snores.
"I turned and gave him a look. Was he joking?
"I cleaned up after myself and didn't snore. Besides, our rooms were separated by thick walls, so even if I did snore there was no way he heard. The reporters were having fits of giggles but I cut in: Lies! Lies!
"That only made them laugh harder. Willy too.
"I laughed as well because we often bantered like that, but when I look back on it now, I can't help but wonder if there wasn't something else at play. I was training to get on the front line, the same place Willy had been training to get, but the Palace had scuttled his plans. The Spare, sure, let him run around a battlefield like a chicken with its head cut off, if that's what he likes.
"But the Heir? No.
"So Willy was now training to be a search and rescue pilot, and perhaps feeling quietly frustrated about it. In which case, he was seeing it all wrong. He was doing remarkable, vital work, I thought, saving lives every week. I was proud of him, and full of respect for the way he was dedicating himself whole-heartedly to his preparation.
"Still, I should've figured out how he might have been feeling. I knew all too well the despair of being pulled from a fight for which you've spent years preparing."
The book is half price at £14 in Waterstones.
