William’s olive branch to Harry sees brothers and wives united
IT was a moment that stopped the already hushed, respectful crowds gathered at Windsor Castle in their tracks.
The new Prince of Wales emerged from the Queen’s beloved castle with his erstwhile estranged brother, the Duke of Sussex, around 5.30pm yesterday in a surprise show of unity.
William and Harry appeared with both the new Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex at their sides to tour tributes from mourners on a walkabout that no-one expected.
The Prince and Princess examined floral tributes left at the Queen’s home, with Prince Harry and Meghan – with whom relations have been inordinately strained in recent times – following suit.
The royals spoke with some of the thousands of members of the public gathered along The Long Walk, the historic three-mile avenue from Windsor Castle, shaking hands and accepting good wishes from mourners.
The moment marked what was the new Princess’s first public appearance since the death of Queen Elizabeth on Thursday.
But it also marked a moment no-one was really expecting – a coming together of the two brothers who have been at odds in recent times, notably since Prince Harry and his wife chose to participate in a globally-aired interview with Oprah Winfrey in March last year, airing their grievances with the royal family on TV at a time when the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, was known to be in the final chapter of his life.
The Duke of Edinburgh died at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99.
As the brothers and their wives chatted with people, historians said they believed the time spent with the public – in the same way in which the new King and his wife met wellwishers outside Buckingham Palace on Friday and also last night, as they embarked on an impromptu walkabout on the Mall – marked a new “modern” approach likely to be adopted in the years ahead.
Vernon Bogdanor said on BBC News of William and Harry’s apparent time of togetherness that this was perhaps “a moment for reconciliation” in not just the royal family but also in the country, saying the country was “coming together” above all disputes to remember and honour the Queen.
At Windsor, William and Harry were greeted by cheers and applause as they put their differences aside and walked together.
A source at Kensington Palace told the Daily Mail the Prince of Wales had invited the Sussexes to join him and the Princess of Wales.
The invitation led to what is thought to have been the first occasion the two couples have been together since Commonwealth Day in March 2020.
The brothers have barely spoken to each other in two years, but – even if temporary – their truce would surely have been welcomed by their grandmother.
It came after Harry and Meghan had been subjected to booing by crowds on a public engagement in Manchester in the days leading up to Her Majesty’s death, as well from the crowd on an engagement in Germany, with ardent admirers of the Queen expressing disappointment that the couple were not showing support to the Queen in her twilight years.
One well-wisher at Windsor said: “We couldn’t believe it when we saw William and Harry walk down with Meghan and Kate. I’ll be honest, there was a bit of a groan when Harry and Meghan came down our side, but I passed him flowers and he was happy to take them.
“Sad things like funerals bring families together so I hope that when they get back to California they think long and hard about everything that’s happened.”
The scenes of unity came after reports earlier in the day that the King had personally intervened to stop Harry from bringing
Meghan to Balmoral earlier on Thursday.
According to The Sun, after the Sussexes announced they were en route to Aberdeenshire, “Charles told Harry it wasn’t right or appropriate for Meghan to be in Balmoral at such a deeply sad time ... it was pointed out to him that Kate was not going and that numbers should really be limited to the very closest family”.
A royal source also told The Telegraph that the family felt uncomfortable in Harry’s presence, saying: “It’s quite hard to spend too much time with someone you know is about to publish a tell-all book about you.”
It comes amid royal experts reporting that the death of his grandmother would make it “tasteless” and “inappropriate” for Harry’s upcoming memoir to be published.
The book is due to be released later this year.
At Windsor, William and Harry were greeted by cheers as they put their differences aside and walked together