Prince Harry and Prince William Once Turned a Bomb Shelter into a Secret Club

"Club H turned Highgrove into quite the hot spot when Dad happened to be away."

Prince Harry and Prince William in Windsor on May 18, 2018.
(Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Prince William may not be on the best of terms now, but when they were younger, the royal brothers got up to plenty of mischief together.

In his book Battle of Brothers, royal expert Robert Lacey gave some insight into funny moments from William and Harry's youth. The brothers spent a lot of time at Highgrove House, their father King Charles' country residence. According to Lacey, William and Harry found an unusual way to make their dad's house more fun.

The royals apparently turned "a bomb-proof shelter in the house's cellar into 'Club H,' with a private disco and even a drinks trolley," the Express reported. According to the publication, Lacey wrote of William and Harry's unexpected endeavor, "Club H turned Highgrove into quite the hot spot when Dad happened to be away. In his absence, 16-year-old William—already a steady drinker—and his younger brother 'relaxed' intensively."

Prince William and brother Prince Harry

"Club H turned Highgrove into quite the hot spot when Dad happened to be away."

(Image credit: Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince William was allegedly responsible for creating the bomb shelter disco. "Club H had been very much William's inspiration, with his older friends largely setting the social pace for Harry," Lacey wrote.

Of course, if their father was at home, William and Harry would likely vacate their homemade disco, according to Lacey. "[T]he two brothers and their friends could all pile out together to The Rattlebone Inn in the village of Sherston five miles away," he wrote.

Prince Harry himself has discussed the special club he once created with his brother. In his memoir Spare, Harry wrote (via the Express), "I hid in the basement beneath Highgrove, usually with Willy. We called it Club H. Many assumed the H stood for Harry, but in fact it stood for Highgrove."

While Harry and William allegedly aren't close right now, it's clear that they have a wonderful shared history of stories between them. Hopefully, Princess Diana's son will one day be able to reconcile.

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.