Imagine leaving brothers and princes William and Harry in the same room privately for a few hours. Who would throw the first punch?
Royals to rock stars, if it runs in the family, it may not be a first-pump hello between siblings, but rather a fistfight.
That was certainly the case between the Kink brothers, as well as the longstanding family feud that Oasis’ Gallagher brothers engaged in. Royals, too, have not been immune to this.
Princes Harry and William rarely speak and live on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Love and loathing may begin under the same roof but end up in sibling rivalry that can split families, relationships, and even crush fame.
Celebrities do it best, from winning awards to publicly airing their dirty laundry.
The Brothers Gallagher
The Gallagher brothers turned their fights into part of the Oasis mythology. Originally celebrated as the new Lennon and McCartney, the bros spent over a decade and a half, from around 1994, cancelling shows, busting one another’s nuts in the studio, and cricket-batting one another into shape.
The final straw came backstage at a show in Paris in 2009 when brother Noel said his final farewell to the band. He said he “couldn’t work with Liam a day longer.”
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After the walkout, insults continued for years, with hilarious terms like “potato” and “freak” often thrown around, along with more expletive insults.
It took almost 30 years and a USD 170 million deal to get the two Gallaghers to kiss and make up this year.
The Kinks Brothers
Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks were the sibling rivals of their time. It was violent to the max, with on-stage eruptions often included in concert ticket prices, for free.
In 1965, during a show in Wales, drummer Mick Avory got into the action and struck Dave with a cymbal stand in the middle of one such brotherly fight.
It left him with 16 stitches and a bloody mess on the floor that someone had to clean up.
But the mess wasn’t just on stage. The Kinks received a four-year US tour ban and even tried to reunite in a short-lived tour in 2015. It didn’t work.
The Williams Sisters are The Exception
Venus and Serena Williams gave sibling rivalry a handshake and a hug, not a sucker punch. They faced each other in 16 tennis finals.
Serena Williams often admitted that she hated competing against her best friend, while sister Venus called it the most complicated kind of pressure.
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But unlike the others, their rivalry on the tennis court strengthened rather than broke their bond. In sisterhood team-ups, they’ve won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals.
A Seventy-Year-Long Feud
Hollywood knows how to turn on the drama between siblings. When actress Joan Fontaine won an Oscar in 1942, she apparently ignored her sister Olivia de Havilland’s congratulations.
However, the conflict truly intensified when their mother became ill, passed away, and had to be buried. There was reportedly a big family argument about the funeral arrangements.
Fontaine accused her sister of excluding her from the memorial, and the pair did not speak for 70 years after that. Fontaine died in 2013 without ever kissing and making up with her sister.
Princely punch up
Imagine leaving brothers and princes William and Harry in the same room privately for a few hours. Who would throw the first punch?
The Windsors’ sibling rivalry between the two brothers has become a public spectacle of cold-shouldering.
When Harry married vocal actress Meghan Markle and divided royal households in 2019, the cracks widened. Then, Harry’s decision to step back from royal duties in 2020 turned speculation into confirmation.
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Since then, William and Harry have spent the past five years leading their own lives on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
Harry’s a prince turned television producer with wife Meghan, while William and Kate keep the Union Jack flapping in an age where royal relevance is fast diminishing beyond tourism value.