How fights used to erupt between Edward VIII and George VI trends now

The now-fraught relationship between Princes William and Harry has echoes stretching back more than 100 years. 

The Duke of Sussex claims in his upcoming book that his brother attacked him after branding his wife Meghan Markle 'difficult'.

But the pair are not the first royal siblings to spectacularly fall out. The future Kings Edward VIII and George VI quarrelled growing up, with their tutor telling in 1907 how the presence of one in the school room acted as a 'red rag' to the other.

And whilst the pair got on better in adulthood, Edward's decision to abdicate in 1936 so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson was seen as a 'personal betrayal' by George, royal author Alexander Larman told MailOnline.  

The pair met on only a few occasions after the abdication, before their relationship broke down irretrievably after a 'furious' in-person row in 1949 over King George's refusal to grant Wallis the title of Her Royal Highness. 

The pair spent a lot of time together in early childhood, but, like with Prince William and Harry, it was said to be 'clearly understood' that Prince Edward was the heir to the throne.

Edward is said to have acted as a 'head nurse' to his other siblings, including George, who was known at the time by his first name, Prince Albert.

Writing years later, the Duke of Windsor said he could 'always manage' his brother.

In January 1907, the boys' tutor, Peter Hansell, said he was finding it difficult to keep peace in the schoolroom. 

He reported: 'It is extraordinary how the presence of one acts as a sort of "red rag" to the other'. 

However, due to the fact that George was lacking in confidence and had a stammer, he did later look up to his elder brother, who he saw as a 'mentor' figure. 

But further tensions began to emerge when, after becoming King following the death of his father George V, Edward did not hide his relationship with Wallis, who is believed to have become his mistress in 1934. 

Like the tension between Prince Harry and Meghan and William and Kate, there was also significant friction between Edward and Wallis and George and his wife Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother. 

The famous diarist Chips Channon noted in July 1936: 'The Simpson scandal is growing, and she, poor Wallis, looks unhappy. 

'The world is closing around her, the flatterers, the sycophants, and the malice...' 

Edward further upset courtiers and the press by sending Wallis to Royal Ascot in a royal car, even though she had no official status. 

Royal biographer Sarah Bradford writes in her book, George VI: The Dutiful King: 'Tension between the Yorks and Wallis reached its highest point so far at Balmoral in late September [1936].