The new Prince of Wales, Prince William, invited his brother Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to join him and the Princess of Wales on their outing to Windsor Castle today, it's understood. The visit had not been scheduled ahead of time, and the thousands of people who had lined the path to the Castle in Windsor were taken by surprise at the sight of the family together.
According to journalist and writer Omid Scoobie, it was Prince William who reached out to Prince Harry and Meghan to suggest they all visit together. Mr Scoobie tweeted: "The Waleses and the Sussexes have come together to view some of the many tributes for the Queen left by the public outside Windsor Castle. A palace spokesperson says: 'The Prince of Wales invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join him and the Princess of Wales earlier'."
The invitation has been labelled by fans of the royals as Prince William offering an 'olive branch' to his brother, Prince Harry, following tension within the family over the past two years.
Recap : Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Princess of Wales appear publicly together
Dressed in black, the Prince, Princess, Duke and Duchess stood together to see the flowers and tributes outside the castle, before pairing off to meet many members of the public standing behind barriers nearby. Crowds cheered and many presented the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, with beautiful bouquets of flowers.
Royal experts say seeing the Prince, Princess, Duke and Duchess all together today is a "strong sign of unity" in sad times and is particularly noteworthy as the the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex did not attend Balmoral when the Queen was taken ill on Thursday. This is the first time the family members have been seen publicly together since the sad news of the Queen's passing and understood to be the first time all four have been seen together in public since March 2020.
Back in spring 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down with American producer and talk show host Oprah Winfrey for a controversial tell-all interview. The couple alleged a member of the royal family made remarks about the skin colour of their baby son and the Duchess of Sussex reportedly alleged the now-Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, made her cry ahead of her wedding.
Following the interview, it's been widely reported that the two couples found it difficult to rebuild their relationship - and they are not seen together publicly. It's hoped the couples will come together for further appearances and begin to move forwards as the Prince and Princess of Wales take on their new roles.
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