A quarter of a century before they became brothers united in grief over their mother’s sudden death, and the fraternal bonds of shared loss seemed unbreakable. Yesterday only their mutual sorrow for the Queen’s death remained. Seldom had the relationship between princes once so close seemed so strained, nor the gulf between them so wide. There was no human barrier to separate them as there had been last year at Prince Philip’s farewell when the burly figure of their cousin, Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, walked between them. At their mother’s funeral they were just boys who barely looked up from the ground. Yesterday, they stared stiffly ahead, Harry hatless in his mourning clothes, William’s eyes hooded by the top hat of his RAF No 1 uniform. Both conducted themselves with dignity and respect, impervious to those watching and hoping for some sign of reconciliation, some exchange of brotherly love, even a flicker of forgiveness. There was none. Just like 25 years and eight days ago, the September sun shone down on William and Harry as they walked side by side behind their grandmother’s coffin. But everything else was different, writes Richard Kay. Photo: Britain’s Prince William, second right, Kate, Princess of Wales, right, Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, second left, leave after paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II in the Hall of Westminster for the ‘Ling-in’ State, in London on Wednesday Of course, the solemnity of the occasion could make such a gesture inappropriate. Twenty-five years ago, there was a moment when Princess Diana’s motorcade briefly disappeared under Horse Guards Arch before reappearing in Whitehall. Then there was a reassuring blow for William from his grandfather. This time there was no such release from the solemnity of it all and only Harry and William’s little feet remained on the edge. However, if ever there was a chance to heal this most tragic of rifts, this was it for sure. Four days earlier, as Harry and Meghan joined William and Kate to view flowers and greet well-wishers at Windsor Castle, there was no disguising the tension that now exists between the siblings on whom the long-term future once depended of the royal family. Where they had once been a natural and spontaneous foursome, now they were awkward and uncertain. But at least they were together. The question was, could Harry accept the olive branch he was offered? When Prince Philip died, Harry was overdue and landed in Britain after a long flight from California – he found himself playing catch-up and missing the nation’s mood of loss and grief. Attempts to reconcile with his brother failed and he was soon going home to Megan, then pregnant with daughter Lilibet and son Archie. There was no need for an emergency flight across the Atlantic this time – she was already here when the Queen died last Thursday. This meant that he witnessed the extraordinary outburst of national grief and mourning that has gripped the country since the beginning. If he ever wanted to reevaluate the decisions he made, then there was no better place to start than the Mall yesterday as he stood in silent thought behind his father, the King. Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin rests in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster in London, Wednesday From left, Prince William, King Charles III, Prince Harry, Princess Anne and Tim Lawrence follow the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it is carried in a horse-drawn carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Artillery, during ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, Wednesday How easy it would be to relegate the Prince and his wife to some minor role as they were during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations as a simple support act. In that case, the reality of their role as minor kings alongside the Queen’s cousins in the less prominent pews at St Paul’s Cathedral could not have been clearer. And if the same had happened this week, wouldn’t they have only themselves to blame? Their annoying complaints from their Montecito mansion, so often insensible, continued unabated. While looming above all remains the ghost of Harry’s memoirs. However, King Charles – and indeed William – have shown magnanimity. Instead of being shut out, Harry stepped into the center of things. His role yesterday was hardly unclear. Indeed, he was given every courtesy for his position as the King’s son. He was in his rightful place next to his brother and behind his father. At Westminster Hall, he and the Duchess of Sussex lined up right in line of succession behind William and Kate to pay their respects at the Queen’s coffin. As for Meghan, she too showed the respect that a monarch’s bride deserves. Pictured: The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk outside Westminster Abbey during Diana’s funeral in 1997 Left: Prince Charles looks towards Prince William outside Westminster Abbey as the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales is loaded into the hearse after the funeral in 1997. Right: Prince William and Prince Harry
William and Harry joined Kate and Meghan for dinner with other royals after receiving the Queen’s coffin
Princes William and Harry joined the rest of the royal family for dinner at Buckingham Palace after receiving their mother’s coffin last night – as the siblings continue to support their father in the wake of the Queen’s death.
Kate and Meghan were also in attendance at the dinner as the Queen spent a final night in the palace’s Bow Room before moving to the Palace of Westminster this afternoon to stay in state for four days.
It’s the latest sign the siblings have put aside their strained relationship to present a united front as the Royal Family mourns Her Majesty’s death, Page Six reports.
As the royals waited inside the gates, tens of thousands of people lined the streets of central London to cheer and pay their last respects as the new state hearse approached the palace.
People also cheered ‘hip hip hooray’ after the coffin passed under the arch, with many lowering their umbrellas as a mark of respect. Others were seen wiping tears from their eyes as phone camera lights illuminated the crowds on the streets in central London.
It comes as the brothers stood with their wives Kate and Meghan on Wednesday as they continued to put aside their bitter feud to honor the Queen as she was taken to Westminster.
While Harry walked with his brother, his wife traveled in a royal limousine with his aunt Sophie, Countess of Wessex. She was second in the royal motorcade behind the Queen Consort and Kate, the new Princess of Wales.
In the fine-tuned world of the monarchy these are not merely symbolic gestures. Here, Harry was showing his rightful place in the House of Windsor, should he ever want to return and pick up the threads of his royal life.
What is clear is that he is not being treated—at least not yet—as royal officials once did to another formerly beloved figure who chose exile over duty. King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis – who was always denied the HRH title – were never really welcomed to Britain after the abdication.
Does Harry realize that? Can he even see the distinction? Researching the now dwindling ranks of front-line kings, even he must realize how much his father, a retired King, and his brother need him.
The question is, will Harry seize the opportunity?
But there is another factor. In America, where the Sussexes’ celebrity status has certainly waned, how important will Harry and Meghan’s central role be this week? How much will it have breathed new life into their brand?
The answer, of course, is that the brand will have been transformed by their proximity to an epic event that has taken the world by storm. They have reasserted their status as underdogs with a ringside seat on major historic occasions.
For months, rumors have been circulating from California that Harry is homesick, missing his friends, his old Army buddies and even the English countryside. “What does he do all day,” some of his oldest friends often ask?
It’s fair to say that Meghan and their children have a tidy and extremely happy home life.
And it would be wrong to ignore the fact that he is here because of his love and affection for the Queen and is genuinely sad.
His moving statement about her “unshakable grace and dignity” was proof of that.
King Charles III, Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex, Prince William, The Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, Camilla, The Queen Consort, Sir Timothy Laurence, Sir Peter Phillips, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Beatrix and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent are seen inside the Palace of Westminster for Queen Elizabeth II’s State Lying on September 14
From left, Britain’s Camilla, Queen Consort, Kate, Princess of Wales, Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a service to receive Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin at Westminster Hall , at the Palace of Westminster in London, Wednesday
But opportunity for royals rarely strikes more than once. Between them, his father and brother offered him a way back, and he got more than a glimpse of the life he left behind.
There is a pragmatism here on the part of Charles and William: they need him. The Royal Family slimming down is all well and good, but in just two years…
