The Princess of Wales reportedly found a walkabout with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, to be “one of the hardest things she’s ever had to do”, a royal commentator has claimed in a new book.
On 10 September, Prince William and Kate Middleton walked alongside the Duke and Duchess of Sussex greeting well-wishers near Windsor Castle, nine days before the Queen’s funeral.
Pictures of the four, wearing mourning attire, quickly made headlines at the time as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held hands, marking their first engagement under their new titles after stepping back from royal duties.
Royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of a new book titled Our King Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed, has claimed that sources told him that while the four seemed amicable on the day, that wasn’t the case.
Jobson said that, according to sources, the image of unity was an “illusion”.
In an extract from the book published by the MailOnline, he wrote: “Catherine later admitted to a senior royal that, such was the ill feeling between the two couples, the joint walkabout was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do.”
The Independent has contacted representatives for the Prince and Princess of Wales for comment.
The walkabout took place months before the release of Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare, which hit bookshelves in January.
In the book, Harry claimed that his brother once physically attacked him and had advised him against marrying Meghan. Harry also alleged there were several occasions when William and Kate were hostile towards his wife.
The relationship between Harry and William is thought to have been fraught after the Duke of Sussex decided to officially step back from royal duties in 2020.
Ahead of King Charles III’s coronation on 6 May, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have received an invitation to attend celebrations from the monarch. However, whether they will accept is still to be confirmed.
Reports have suggested that the Sussexes have tried to negotiate their appearance at the coronation, with The Times claiming that the couple want a role for their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
It comes as reports confirm that Prince Charles will only allow working royals to appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace at the coronation.
