The greatest sibling rivalries of all time

Brothers and NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce made history with their rivalry as the first brothers to face off at the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs, for whom Travis is a tight end, won against the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom Jason is a starting center, and the athletes' parents had a tough time picking a team to root for.

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Cleopatra and siblings -

The power-hungry queen of Egypt is said to have been involved in the death of three of her siblings.

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Cleopatra and siblings -

She went to war against her brother Ptolemy XIII, who was defeated in battle and then drowned in the Nile.

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Cleopatra and siblings -

She then supposedly ordered the death of her other brother, Ptolemy XIV, and her sister, Arsinoe.

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Anne and Mary Boleyn -

In one of the most famous sibling rivalries of all time, sisters Anne and Mary Boleyn fell out as they both vied for the affections of English King Henry VIII.

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Anne and Mary Boleyn -

Mary was the King’s mistress for years, but when she was married off Anne saw an opportunity to claim him for her own.

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Anne and Mary Boleyn -

Anne spent six years in the King’s court trying to win him over. Mary was still residing there the whole time.

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Adolf and Rudolf Dassler -

German shoemakers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler lived a 60-year sibling rivalry that would produce two of the most well-known shoe brands of all time.

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Adolf and Rudolf Dassler -

The brothers went into business together in the 1920s, but they soon fell out.

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Adolf and Rudolf Dassler -

The feud caused them to divide the business into two brands: Adi’s Adidas and Rudi’s Puma.

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Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine -

These two actresses and singers were competing against each other from a very young age.

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Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine -

The two fell out after Joan bested Olivia for a Best Actress Oscar in 1942.

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Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine -

The nail in the coffin came years later when Olivia failed to notify Joan of their mother’s death. There was radio silence between the sisters until Joan died in December 2013.

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Christopher Ciccone and Madonna -

Once very close, these two fell out when brother Chris published his 2008 book ‘Life with My Sister Madonna.’

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Christopher Ciccone and Madonna -

Madonna did not like the way in which the book detailed the ins and outs of her private life.

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Christopher Ciccone and Madonna -

The pair had reportedly reconciled by 2012, but in 2017 the relationship fell apart again as Chris claimed his sister had "blacklisted him from Hollywood."

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Liam and Noel Gallagher - In one of the most infamous sibling rivalries of all time, Oasis brothers Liam and Noel have been at loggerheads for longer than anyone can remember.

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Liam and Noel Gallagher -

Noel accused Liam of pulling out of a 2009 gig because he was hungover, and in 2011 Liam took Noel to High Court accusing him of breaking up the band.

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Prince William and Prince Harry -

A popular one for media attention, the rivalry between the royal brothers was once thought to be one of friendly competition since William was ahead of Harry in line for the throne.

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Prince William and Prince Harry -

Reports of a rift between the brothers have been rampant since Harry's engagement and then subsequent marriage to Meghan Markle, and they only increased after Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family.

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Prince William and Prince Harry -

Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' then dropped an all new bombshell which highlighted a very troubling dynamic between him and his brother, calling William out very publicly and yet also claiming that he wants to repair their relationship.

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Serena and Venus Williams -

Having played each other over 20 times now, there is a huge amount of competition between these two tennis stars.

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Serena and Venus Williams -

Apparently the competition is friendly, however, and both sisters respect each other greatly.

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Serena and Venus Williams -

This is very impressive given the level of their game and the number of accolades each sister has received.

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Jonas Brothers -

Brothers Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas were the perfect team for years–their band sold millions of records after being signed in 2007.

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Jonas Brothers -

But to fans’ devastation, the band fell apart in 2013 and the boys each went their separate ways. Kevin admitted that he felt some jealousy when his brothers embarked on solo careers.

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Jonas Brothers -

By February 2019, however, the boys were back together writing music and have since released hits like 'Sucker' and 'Only Human.'

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Travis and Jason Kelce -

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Cleopatra and siblings -

The power-hungry queen of Egypt is said to have been involved in the death of three of her siblings.

Getty Images

5 / 28 Fotos

Cleopatra and siblings -

She went to war against her brother Ptolemy XIII, who was defeated in battle and then drowned in the Nile.

Getty Images

6 / 28 Fotos

Cleopatra and siblings -

She then supposedly ordered the death of her other brother, Ptolemy XIV, and her sister, Arsinoe.

Getty Images

7 / 28 Fotos

Anne and Mary Boleyn -

In one of the most famous sibling rivalries of all time, sisters Anne and Mary Boleyn fell out as they both vied for the affections of English King Henry VIII.

Getty Images

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Anne and Mary Boleyn -

Mary was the King’s mistress for years, but when she was married off Anne saw an opportunity to claim him for her own.

Getty Images

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Anne and Mary Boleyn -

Anne spent six years in the King’s court trying to win him over. Mary was still residing there the whole time.

Getty Images

10 / 28 Fotos

Adolf and Rudolf Dassler -

German shoemakers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler lived a 60-year sibling rivalry that would produce two of the most well-known shoe brands of all time.

Getty Images

11 / 28 Fotos

Adolf and Rudolf Dassler -

The brothers went into business together in the 1920s, but they soon fell out.

Getty Images

12 / 28 Fotos

Adolf and Rudolf Dassler -

The feud caused them to divide the business into two brands: Adi’s Adidas and Rudi’s Puma.

Shutterstock/ Getty Images

13 / 28 Fotos

Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine -

These two actresses and singers were competing against each other from a very young age.

Getty Images

14 / 28 Fotos

Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine -

The two fell out after Joan bested Olivia for a Best Actress Oscar in 1942.

Getty Images

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Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine -

The nail in the coffin came years later when Olivia failed to notify Joan of their mother’s death. There was radio silence between the sisters until Joan died in December 2013.

Getty Images

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Christopher Ciccone and Madonna -

Once very close, these two fell out when brother Chris published his 2008 book ‘Life with My Sister Madonna.’

Getty Images

17 / 28 Fotos

Christopher Ciccone and Madonna -

Madonna did not like the way in which the book detailed the ins and outs of her private life.

Getty Images

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Christopher Ciccone and Madonna -

The pair had reportedly reconciled by 2012, but in 2017 the relationship fell apart again as Chris claimed his sister had "blacklisted him from Hollywood."

Getty Images

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Liam and Noel Gallagher - In one of the most infamous sibling rivalries of all time, Oasis brothers Liam and Noel have been at loggerheads for longer than anyone can remember.

Getty Images

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Liam and Noel Gallagher -

Noel accused Liam of pulling out of a 2009 gig because he was hungover, and in 2011 Liam took Noel to High Court accusing him of breaking up the band.

Getty Images

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Prince William and Prince Harry -

A popular one for media attention, the rivalry between the royal brothers was once thought to be one of friendly competition since William was ahead of Harry in line for the throne.

Getty Images

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Prince William and Prince Harry -

Reports of a rift between the brothers have been rampant since Harry's engagement and then subsequent marriage to Meghan Markle, and they only increased after Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family.

Getty Images

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Prince William and Prince Harry -

Getty Images

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Serena and Venus Williams -

Having played each other over 20 times now, there is a huge amount of competition between these two tennis stars.

Getty Images

25 / 28 Fotos

Serena and Venus Williams -

Apparently the competition is friendly, however, and both sisters respect each other greatly.

Getty Images

26 / 28 Fotos

Serena and Venus Williams -

This is very impressive given the level of their game and the number of accolades each sister has received.

Getty Images

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The greatest sibling rivalries of all time

From historical figures to contemporary celebrities

04/09/24 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Family

Since the days of Cain and Abel, sibling rivalry has been a favorite trope used by artists in both literature and film. For instance, a prominent theme of Shakespeare's 'King Lear' is the fierce competition between the three daughters, and adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' often portray high levels of competition between the detective and his brother. But ask anyone with a brother or sister and they'll tell you that sibling rivalry also exists in real life.

Feelings of competitiveness are particularly common in siblings who are close in age or particularly gifted and talented. It comes as no surprise, then, that some of the world's most successful artists, businessmen, and intellectuals are at loggerheads with their siblings.

Check out this gallery to explore some of the most famous sibling rivalries of all time.