It was as he wanted, His grandsons agree
WITH the whole world watching, Princes William and Harry were yesterday reunited in grief as they laid their beloved grandfather to rest.
And they seemed to be stepping towards reconciliation, chatting good naturedly after the service.as they took off their masks,william said “Yes it was great, wasn’t it”, to which Harry replied “It was as he wanted”, lipreaders said.
The estranged brothers were seen together for the first time in more than a year as they walked behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin before the funeral service at Windsor Castle.
And they were later caught side-by-side on camera in a private moment that could mark the beginning of the end of the feud that has torn them apart since Harry stepped away from the family to pursue a new life in America.
William, 38, and Harry, 36, had not walked shoulder-toshoulder during the sombre, eight-minute procession from the castle’s quadrangle to St George’s Chapel, and instead were either side of their cousin Peter Phillips. Nor did they appear to exchange a single word or glance during the ceremony.
But, in what could be a pivotal moment on their road to rapprochement, they were later caught briefly on camera walking together afterwilliam’s wife Kate slipped ahead of them following the chapel service.they spoke to thearchbishop of Canterbury, and William later said to his brother, “Absolutely beautiful service, ah, the music”, interpreters said.
ITN’S Tom Bradby said: “It’s often said funerals are a time for reconciliation and that’s a scene a lot of people wanted to see, not least the family itself.”
Commentator Eve Pollard said: “They were
‘They were
possibly overcome by emotion... they were
talking’
talking.they were possibly overcome by emotion. They were talking – and that’s got to be a very good sign. Let’s hope that they sort their recent troubles out because the Queen needs them both.”
It had been quietly hoped that the loss of their grandfather, who both William and Harry loved deeply, might begin a healing process and royal author Sally Bedell Smith reminded millions of American viewers of the unbreakable bond they share. She said in a US TV interview: “William was 15 and Harry 12 when they walked behind their mother Princess Diana’s casket, and their grandfather’s funeral will have evoked deep memories of that.
“Right up to the night before Diana’s funeral, it was still undecided whetherwilliam and Harry should walk in the procession.
“It was Philip who said to them, ‘If you don’t walk, you’ll regret it for the rest of your lives’.and then he told them, ‘If you walk, I’ll walk with you’.”
Now, 23 years on and united once again in grief, William and Harry appeared last night to have taken the first, tentative steps towards peace.
Their chapel encounter follows claims from a royal aide that “wounds are still very raw”.
The source was quoted as saying: “There is a realisation that everyone does need to reach some form of resolution, if only for the Queen, who has said it is her wish that the family comes together.”