What do you do if you see James Corden and the second heir to the throne in a drunken scrap? Well, apparently that’s something David Beckham had to contend with on a night out back in 2011.

According to a source in the Daily Mail, Prince Harry and the former England captain were reportedly out with friends at the exclusive Arts Club in Mayfair around Christmas time, when Corden showed up having just performed in his West End play, One Man, Two Guvnors.

It’s thought that the group were already quite merry when Corden arrived, and Harry reportedly made a drunken joke about Corden’s appearance that allegedly left him ‘absolutely raging’. As for the alleged joke itself? The secret source has chosen to keep that bit to themselves, conveniently.

Nor can we be sure why this random anecdote has popped up more than 13 years later, but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t intrigued. Of course, it’s more than likely that the source has slightly overegged the drama of it all. They even went as far as to describe the alleged dispute as ‘a rapture’.

‘There were some of Harry’s friends, some of James’ friends, and some of David’s gang, and they all intertwined,’ the source revealed to set the scene. ‘Then it all kicked off. James was furious. It quickly emerged that Harry had told a joke, and James definitely did not find it funny.’

It was at this point Beckham swooped in from the sidelines to intervene, playing the alleged role of ‘peacemaker’. Apparently, he mediated the confrontation and assured Corden that the prince was only joking. Once tensions subsided, some of the group reportedly wandered on to the Savoy Hotel to continue drinking – naturally.

It’s as believable as it is bizarre, especially given how much time has passed. Whatever happened between the two stars can’t have been that awful since Corden and Harry have remained close friends in the years that followed. In fact, Corden had hosting duties at Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding reception in 2018, and Harry has appeared on The Late Late Show, which Corden hosted between 2015 and 2023, several times.

The pair grew even closer when Harry and his family moved to California in 2020, where Corden lived with wife Julia Carey until 2023, the couple becoming close friends with Meghan Markle in the process. Corden famously interviewed Harry on a double decker bus through California when he first moved to the area while rapping the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air theme tune and encouraging him to buy the house where the show was filmed.

Their friendship extended off screen too. Corden previously told The Sun that he’s taken his children for playdates at the Sussex’s Montecito home and that both families have been out for dinner together. ‘I’ve got a huge amount of respect and admiration for Harry,’ he said, ‘and anyone who has been around him and spent time with him would feel exactly the same way.’ At least it doesn’t seem like ‘the rapture’ has caused lasting damage.

Shortly after the Arts Club story got picked up by the press, Corden posted a quote on Instagram which many fans have taken to be a response. ‘Once in a while, out of the blue, your heart spins and it can feel like you’re falling with nothing to hold on to. But you are not the storm, and it will pass,’ reads the Charlie Mackesy quote. ‘We all need this from Charlie Mackesy every once in a while,’ he wrote.

Of course, it’s entirely unclear what Corden is referring to or whether he just wanted to remind his followers to check in on their mental health. He has, after all, had a busy few months. On Christmas Day, the 90-minute finale of the beloved sitcom, Gavin & Stacey, which Corden co-wrote with Ruth Jones aired to widespread critical acclaim. It became one of the most watched scripted TV shows of the century, attracting more than 19.1 million viewers.

In the press run before and after the episode aired, both Corden and Jones were incredibly emotional about their 17-year project coming to an end. ‘I think what we’d really, really love, both of us, is for the audience to feel a sense of closure. And also for them to feel like, “oh, I’m satisfied by that, I’ve seen 17 years of these characters’ lives and how they’ve grown and changed,” and that’s really never been lost on us,’ the actor explained in the BBC documentary, Gavin and Stacey: A Fond Farewell.

Equally, Corden’s post could be a message to all his friends and fans in LA who are worrying about the ongoing wildfires. The fires started in Pacific Palisades on 7 January and remain largely uncontained. More than 180,000 people have been forced to evacuate the area, 24 people have died, and thousands have lost their homes. The actor lived in the Brentwood Park neighbourhood until July 2023 when he and his family moved back to the UK, but he still has close ties to the area.

As a California resident, Harry is acutely aware of the devastation the fires have caused too. He and Markle recently came under criticism for visiting some of the victims and helping to hand out food parcels and were called ‘disaster tourists’ and accused of exploiting the tragedy for a ‘photo op’.

All of which is to say that we have no idea what Corden’s post is referring to, why the ‘source’ came forward with their story now, or what ‘cruel joke’ Harry allegedly made while he was drunk in 2011. What we do know is that Corden and Harry have both moved on and have much bigger things to worry about – as we all do.