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Harry & Wills to walk together behind coffin Docs tell pregnant Meghan not to travel
PRINCES William and Harry will stand side by side as they walk behind their grandfather’s coffin on Saturday – in a moving moment which could heal their rift.
The brothers, who have barely spoken in a year, will put aside their differences to pay tribute to their beloved grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh.
Harry, 36, is expected to arrive from America inside the next 24 hours.
The Duke, who passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle on Friday with the Queen by his side, was said to have been “dismayed” at the disintegration of his grandsons’ relationship.
Royal sources revealed how he “urged them both to put to rest their differences, and not only remember their bond but also be mindful of their duty to the Queen and the country”.
Once inseparable, William and Harry have hardly spoken in more than two years after a series of disastrous rows.
Duke of Sussex Harry quit his royal role and set up home in California with wife Meghan. But last night Harry was preparing to fly home by private jet to attend the funeral of his grandpa.
Heavily pregnant Meghan, 39, will not be there. It is understood she was not given clearance to travel by her doctor.
Harry will be following Covid-19 protocols for the trip, as well as during his visit, a Palace spokesman confirmed.
TENSION
He will see his family for the first time since appearing with Meghan in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Insiders talk of a situation “fraught with tension” after the Sussexes used the tell-all chat to accuse an unnamed royal of racism, questioning how “dark” their unborn child would be.
The couple also accused the institution of abandoning Meghan when she felt suicidal when five months pregnant with son Archie, who is two next month.
One royal source said: “It’s strained, there is a lot of hurt, arguably on both sides, and those sides don’t see eye to eye with each other right now.
“The issues will not be resolved quickly, certainly not over the immediate period, but perhaps in certain quarters there is faith there can be a cooling off, which would lead to conversation, then perhaps a reconciliation.
“Both are fully aware of their shared history and will no doubt remember what impact their grandfather had on their life
growing up. There is hope under an occasion such as this, where the brothers are united in grief, that a corner may be turned.” One poignant tale told by those close to Prince Philip demonstrated the fondness in which he held both princes – and how he looked out for them in the days after Diana, below, was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997. Faced with the terrifying prospect of following their mother’s coffin in the funeral procession, Philip took charge and was adamant he would be by his grandsons’ sides. He told the boys at a dinner before the service: “I’ll walk if you walk.” Along with Diana’s brother Earl Spencer and Prince Charles, he paced solemnly behind the casket with Prince William, 15, and Prince Harry, 12.
The Duke of Cambridge later spoke of the experience, recalling the struggle to find “balance between me being Prince William and having to do my bit, versus the private William who just wanted to go in a room and cry because he’d lost his mother”.
Harry told how he was grateful for his grandfather’s guidance. He said: “Looking back on it now, I am very glad I was part of it.” A source said: “It was a
CONTROVERSIAL Harry and Meghan speak to Oprah very traumatic time for both brothers but they have grown to appreciate what their grandfather did for them. Those memories will be with them as they come together to remember him this week. Harry is coming home to mourn with his family who, along with the country and the Commonwealth, have lost a giant of a man.”
It was thought the first time Harry would see his brother would be when they had agreed to unveil a statue of the Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace to commemorate her life on July 1.
But royal staff at Windsor have been told to prepare Frogmore Cottage – the Windsor home he lived in with
wife Meghan and son Archie. Harry is understood to have ordered a rapid Covid test on Friday so he could travel “as soon as possible”.
He was close to his grandfather and their bond was captured perfectly in a picture of them together, alongside William, at the Rugby World Cup Final at Twickenham in 2015.
But Harry is not thought to have seen the Duke in person since autumn 2019.
When Philip was in hospital last month, recovering from an infection and heart surgery, Harry had a private jet on standby and had chosen to isolate at home in case the worst happened.
On doctors’ advice, Meghan will stay at the couple’s £11million home in Montecito, California. She has invited her mother Doria to keep her company. The former actress is due to have a baby girl in the early summer.
Since quitting royal roles the couple have signed deals worth £130million to make programmes for Netflix and podcasts for Spotify under the banner of their company Archewell Audio.
Harry has two other roles. The first is as “chief impact officer” at a Silicon Valley firm – coaching people on mental health – and the second is as a “commissioner” for a US study into fake news.
Mourners coming from outside England are currently required to selfisolate for the first full 10 days on arrival. But Harry would be entitled to leave his place of self-isolation on compassionate grounds to attend the funeral.
He could also be released from quarantine with a negative result on day five under the Test to Release scheme.
Together with Meghan, Harry paid tribute to Prince Philip on Friday by replacing the home page of their Archewell charitable foundation with a simple message reading: “In loving memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. 1921 - 2021.
“Thank you for your service. You will be greatly missed.”