Prince Harry and Prince William will reunite once again on Monday as the royal brothers attend their grandmother's funeral. The pair will walk together in a procession of the Queen's coffin through central London after the service at Westminster Abbey.
Last week, ahead of the Queen's lying in state, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex appeared solemn as they walked behind the coffin in a procession led by the King. With Harry now living with his wife Meghan in the United States, and William with his wife Kate at Windsor, it was a rare moment for the brothers, who are now rarely seen together.
In recent days, the pair have formed a united front to grieve for their grandmother the Queen, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 96. But a rift between the brothers has been well-documented in recent years, and the pair have seemingly grown apart.
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Growing up together, William and Harry were much closer. The princes were just 15 and 12 when their mother was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Harry said of William when he turned 21: “Ever since our mother died, obviously we were close, but he is the one person on this earth who I can actually really… we can talk about anything.” But since then, their once close relationship appears to have cracked.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior working royals in March 2020 and now live in Montecito in California with their two children, Archie and Lilibet. After leaving their family and their life in the UK behind, the couple went on to accuse the royal family of racism in a primetime Oprah Winfrey television interview. William was said to be furious that private family matters were brought into the public domain.
The relationship between Harry, Meghan, William and Kate has been closely followed by the media and the public since the duke and duchess left the UK. Following the Queen’s Sandringham summit in January, which was called to solve the 'Megxit debacle', William and Harry reportedly stopped speaking for two months.
In public together, the pair appear civil and friendly on occasion. But the brothers refrain from speaking about their strained relationship or their feelings toward each other. Here's how events unfolded after Harry and Meghan left their royal life behind, and how their relationship with William and Kate has appeared since the feud.
Oprah Winfrey interview
In March 2021, Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey was released. In it, the couple made a series of shocking revelations about their brief lives as working royals.
They alleged that a member of the family – not the Queen or Duke of Edinburgh – made a racist comment about their son. They also claimed that Meghan's approaches to the monarchy for help when she started having suicidal thoughts were turned down.
Describing how she had been misrepresented in the press, Meghan said the Duchess of Cambridge had made her cry ahead of her wedding – the opposite of reports circulating ahead of the Sussexes’ nuptials that Meghan left Kate in tears at Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress fitting. Harry also admitted he had become estranged from his father, saying: “I feel really let down”, but added that he would make it one of his priorities “to try and heal that relationship”.
Harry stopped short of attacking his older brother in the two-hour sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. “The relationship is space at the moment,” Harry said. “And time heals all things, hopefully.” He added: “I love William to bits, he’s my brother, we’ve been through hell together, we have a shared experience, but we were on different paths.”
Days later, William made his first public appearance since the interview was released. He defended the monarchy against the accusations of racism telling reporters: “We’re very much not a racist family.” William also said he was yet to speak to his brother about their disclosures, but said he would.
Duke of Edinburgh's funeral
The brother reunited for the funeral of their grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh in April 2021. It was the first time the brothers had been seen in public together since Harry stood down from royal duties.
Harry and William joined their father as they walked behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin at his funeral. The brothers were separated by their cousin Peter Phillips but he dropped back half a pace at one point so the siblings appeared closer together.
As they made their way out of the chapel, Harry appeared to smile briefly in the direction of Kate as the three strolled together, away from the rest of the family. Moments later the brothers walked together, alone, with Kate in conversation with Zara Tindall, William and Harry’s cousin.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, remained in the United States, having been advised not to fly while pregnant with their second child.
Diana' statue
William and Harry reunited just a few months later to finally unveil the bronze tribute to their mother Diana. In July 2021, the pair attended the unveiling ceremony and jointly paid tribute to their mother, the Princess of Wales, saying “every day, we wish she were still with us”.
The brothers looked smart in dark suits with ties as they entered the Kensington Palace garden to unveil the statue. Mirroring each other, they walked with their left hands touching their stomachs.
Harry let out a laugh of appreciation when he saw his mother’s siblings and older brother William, who was a step ahead, greeted Lady Sarah McCorquodale kissing her on both cheeks and went on to warmly welcome his aunt Lady Jane Fellowes and uncle Earl Spencer. William and Harry appeared in good spirits throughout the event, laughing and joking with their guests and appearing at ease in each other’s company.
The pair went their separate ways immediately after the ceremony.
Platinum Jubilee celebrations
Until now, the last time Charles and his two sons were all seen together in public was at the service of thanksgiving for the Queen in St Paul’s Cathedral during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
The couple kept out of the limelight for the majority of the weekend, with the Queen deciding only working royals should grace the Buckingham Palace balcony during the historic festivities.
During the St Paul's service, Harry and Meghan were seated some distance from Charles and William on the other side of the aisle in the second row, behind the Wessex family and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Crowds cheered the pair as they arrived, with the couple smiling and waving, but both boos and cheers could be heard as they departed.
The Jubilee service at St Paul’s was Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance alongside the Windsors since they stepped down as senior royals in 2020 amid the Megxit storm.
Queen's death
Harry and Meghan flew to Europe at the start of September for a series of events including talks in London and Manchester and a trip to Germany to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games. At the time, it was unknown whether the pair had any plans to reunite with members of the Royal Family while spending time in the UK.
When news of the Queen’s worsening health emerged, Harry and Meghan were in London for the WellChild Awards. Along with other members of the royal family, the prince rushed to the Queen's bedside, arriving at Balmoral Castle on Thursday evening, having cancelled his appearance at the charity awards ceremony.
He was then seen leaving the residence around 12 hours later to return to London, where Meghan was staying. On Saturday, the brothers made a public appearance together, alongside Meghan and Kate.
Harry and Meghan joined the new Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle for a walkaround. Along with their wives, the brothers viewed floral tributes left to the late Queen and greeted members of the public who turned up to see them. It is understood the prince invited his brother to join them outside the castle, and a royal source said William thought it was an “important show of unity”.
William, Kate, Harry and Meghan arrived in the same vehicle and greeted well-wishers for around 40 minutes before William hopped into the driver’s seat of the Audi with his wife in the passenger seat, and his brother and sister-in-law in the back.
The Sussexes will stay in the UK to attend the Queen’s state funeral on Monday. It is understood they are staying at Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate, which is walking distance from the Cambridge family’s new home Adelaide Cottage.
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