Prince William mentions brother Prince Harry in public for the first time in years in documentary

Prince William has spoken about his brother Prince Harry in public for the first time in years.

The mention was made in the Prince of Wales' upcoming documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, as he recalled a powerful moment he shared with his brother.

In a clip released on Oct. 26, William looked back at how his mother, the late Princess Diana, opened their eyes to the issue of homelessness. She took them to United Kingdom charity The Passage.

"My mother took me to The Passage; she took Harry and I both there. I must have been 11 at the time, maybe 10. I had never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious about what to expect," he said.

This marked the first time he made a public nod to Harry. The brothers had a rift which was first widely reported about in 2016, according to People Magazine.

In the documentary clip, William remembered how Diana made everyone feel relaxed and at ease at The Passage.

"I remember at the time kind of thinking, 'Well, if everyone doesn't have a home, they're all going to be really sad.' But it was incredible how happy an environment it was," he said.

On their visit, the Prince said they had conversations with people at the charity.

"[That's] when it dawned on me that there were other people out there who don't have the same life as you do," he said. "

You know, when you're quite small, you just think life is what you see in front of you and you don't really have concept to look elsewhere. It's when you meet people, as I did then, who put a different perspective in your head, and say, 'Well, I was living on the s street last night,' and you're like, 'Woah.' I remember that happening."

Since their first visit, William became a patron of The Passage since 2019 and has visited alongside Harry many times.

In 2017, Harry opened up about the same memory.

"My mother took a huge part in showing me an ordinary life, including taking me and my brother to see homeless people. Thank goodness I'm not completely cut off from reality. People would be amazed by the ordinary life William and I live."

Strained relationship

The rift between the brothers was first reported in 2016 when William "aired concerns" about Harry's relationship with Meghan Markle. 

"[William] never tried to dissuade me from marrying Meghan, but he aired some concerns, very early on and said, you know, this is gonna be really hard for you," Harry said in an interview with ITV in January 2023.

The last time the brothers were seen together was in August at Lord Robert Fellowes funeral. But they reportedly did not interact with each other.

People Magazine reported earlier in July that Harry was attempting to connect with William. A royal insider said their rift was "very bad" but not "irreparable."