‘There is a desire to heal’
As the death of Prince Philip brings the royal family together for the first time in a year, royal author Carolyn Durand explores what’s next for The Firm after recent rifts...
IT WAS THE FUNERAL that Prince Philip asked for before his death. The coffin was carried by a specially created Land Rover of his own design. His family – including eldest son Prince Charles and grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry – were all in attendance. And yet, due to Covid-safe guidelines, many of the mourners were forced to maintain a six-foot distance from the Queen at a testing time. There were masks. Only the choir was allowed to sing.
What was still more extraordinary, however, was that the funeral brought the royal family together, with the world watching, at a time of marked turbulence. For those present at the private service at Windsor Castle, it was a moment to reflect on the past. For those at home in front of their televisions, watching a family united despite recent rifts and scandals, it was natural to look to the future, and how the death of The Firm’s patriarch would be felt long-term amid shifting power dynamics.
Prince Harry, who was close to his grandfather, had been isolating beforehand at Frogmore Cottage, the home he shared with Meghan before relocating to Montecito, since landing on an overnight flight from Los Angeles. Under the eyes of cameras, on Saturday he was reunited with family for the very first time after a year apart. Harry may not have walked beside his brother in the procession – Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips was between them – but behind the scenes there had already been movement towards reconciliation: Harry had been speaking to his father Prince Charles and brother Prince William in the aftermath of that explosive Oprah interview, with everyone ‘wanting to work on moving forward’, according to a source.
Still, despite the attention on tensions within the family, the last week was ultimately about the royals coming together to support the Queen and pay their tributes.
Her Majesty, whose entire life has been marked by duty and service, will continue to undertake as many engagements as possible following the end of the mourning period on 22 April, despite what she called the ‘huge void’ in her life left by the death of Prince Philip. He was her closest ally and, despite her devastation, it is understood she will put duty first and attend the State Opening of Parliament in May accompanied by the Prince of Wales.
Already, family members are rallying to support her at future events. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princess Anne are all committed to supporting the monarch. Despite Prince Andrew’s desire to take a more active role and return to public life in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, and his efforts to assert himself following his father’s death (he made a rare on-camera statement about his father and was said to have requested to wear an Admiral’s uniform to the funeral), Grazia understands that he is not expected to have a more official role in the future.
Instead, Prince William and Kate will step up their activities – and not just in relation to their official duties. Ahead of the funeral, Kate was reportedly preparing to play peacemaker between Harry and her husband, and she is sure to continue this work in the coming months, after the groundwork has already been laid.
Prince William, who had been at his Anmer Hall home with Kate and their children, was not able to see Harry upon his immediate return to the UK from California and their relationship has undoubtedly become fraught in recent years amid the fallout from the Sussexes’ move to the US.
But both brothers adore their grandmother and Prince Philip. Their independent heartfelt tributes to their grandfather were released separately but it was significant that, for the first time in a year, the brothers did coordinate their messages together, with William releasing his first due to seniority and Harry releasing praise of his grandfather on behalf of his own family 30 minutes later. The brothers are also set to meet again later this year to honour their late mother: despite the anger and hurt that existed in the last year, they are committed to carrying on Princess Diana’s legacy. ‘It is an absolute priority,’ a source tells Grazia. ‘No amount of hurt feelings would get in the way.’
And, although the brothers’ relationship has been strained, a friend of the Sussexes shared while the ‘family issue is still very raw, the couple have a new home, they are about to have a baby girl, they have multiple new projects under their belt and are settling into their new life.’ They added: ‘The future looks very good and there is a desire to take the first steps with the family to heal and move forward.’
With the family having been separated by both the pandemic and distance for the last year, it had been difficult to build bridges. Uniting them in grief, Prince Philip’s funeral allowed the Windsors a first, bittersweet opportunity to bring their family closer together again – setting aside any differences for the sake of unity.