The royal rift

Sir John Major assumed the role of “special guardian” to the young princes William and Harry after the death of their mother in August 1997. He had only recently stepped down as prime minister after his government’s defeat at the general election and was ideally placed to share with the Prince of Wales some responsibility for legal and administrative matters relating to their future.

His concern for the brothers’ welfare is, therefore, well attested, which makes his urging yesterday that they should use the mourning period for their late grandfather to end any “friction” between them especially pertinent.

The tensions that emerged following the interview given by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Oprah Winfrey had shown few signs of abating until the Duke of Edinburgh’s death. At one point, Prince William felt obliged to say that the Royal family was “very much not racist”. Prince William had evidently made an effort to patch things up, but a friend of the Duchess of Sussex said a phone call between the pair following the interview was “unproductive”.

Sir John said the shared grief at their grandfather’s passing was “the ideal opportunity” to mend rifts. His are wise words and it is to be hoped they are heeded.

Church services were held for the Duke across the nation on Sunday, including a special remembrance at Canterbury attended by 120 worshippers. Numbers in the cathedral were limited by Covid restrictions but were still far more than the 30 being allowed to attend the Duke’s funeral at Windsor next Saturday. While the guidance allowing the cap on funeral mourners has not been lifted, and the Duke wanted a low-key affair, was it really impossible to make an exception to give him a more fitting send off?