Prince William’s brief encounter with Prince Harry inside Westminster Abbey

Princes William and Harry had little interaction at the Queen’s funeral, but one blink-and-you’ll miss it conversation from a video taken inside the church has emerged.

Princes William and Harry have had scarce interaction during royal engagements over the last 10 days.

And that continued at the Queen’s funeral on Monday, with the once-close brothers seen avoiding contact at various points throughout the day.

But a blink-and-you’ll miss it encounter inside Westminster Abbey shows the royal siblings share a brief conversation as they prepared to take their seats for the state service.

In the video, which was shown on the TV broadcast, the Prince and Princess of Wales can be seen standing at the entrance to their row with their children Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, as Harry and wife Meghan Markle approach them.

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Meghan was seen approaching the Prince and Princess of Wales in the abbey.

And a lip reader has deciphered what William said to Harry in the moment.

The brothers are then seen mouthing words to one another, which lip reader Jacqui Press has deciphered.

Ms Press claims Harry, 38, asked William, “Shall we go through first?”

William, 40, then nods, before telling his wife Kate Middleton, “Let them go through first,” to which the Princess of Wales, 40, responds, “OK.”

Meghan, 41, proceeds to walk past William and Kate, seemingly avoiding eye contact, and is quickly followed by Harry.

In one photo, which was taken ahead of the committal service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, following the state funeral, William and Harry can be seen standing idle with more than a metre between them.

William and Harry were seen standing idle at they awaited the Queen’s procession at Windsor Castle. Picture: Peter Nicholls – WPA Pool/Getty Images

At one stage, they were photographed chatting to the Earl of Snowdon as they prepared to join the procession following the Queen’s coffin in the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle.

William and Harry talked to the Earl of Snowdon as they waited for formalities to continue. Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP

The royal family also attended a private burial in The King George VI Memorial Chapel, which wasn’t televised.

The brothers walked side-by-side during the procession from Westminster Abbey through the streets of London.

It marked a significant moment for the brothers who, at Prince Philip’s April 2021 funeral, were separated by Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, who stood between them.

The brothers walked next to each other during the procession through the streets of London. Picture: Scott Garfitt – WPA Pool/Getty Images

In what turned out to be incredible timing, Harry and Meghan happened to be in the UK when the Queen died on September 8.

The duo were only expected to be in Europe for seven days for a series of charity obligations, before being forced to extend their trip to three weeks to account for the mourning period and funeral.

Harry rushed to Balmoral Castle by himself on the day his grandmother died, but didn’t make it in time to say goodbye.

After moving to the US more than two years ago, and having hit out at ‘The Firm’ in several high-profile interviews, the Sussexes’ very public outings alongside the royal family have been pored over in detail.

For the first time since March 2020, Harry was joined by his wife and the Prince and Princess of Wales for a walkabout in Windsor last weekend, three days after the Queen’s death on September 8.

While the show of unity from the former “fab four” was widely welcomed, it was clear there were significant tensions between the once-close brothers and their wives.

Princes William and Harry barely acknowledged each other during the hour-long engagement, which William reportedly invited the Sussexes to join in on at the last minute.

And on Saturday, the brothers joined their cousins for a vigil held by the Queen’s eight grandchildren at Westminster Hall.

There’s widespread sentiment among royal watchers that the group outings are not a thawing of relations between the brothers, but rather a temporary truce as the royal family endures a period of mourning after the Queen’s passing.

Harry confirmed in his bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 that his relationship with William had been fraught over the years.

“As I’ve said before, I love William to bits. He’s my brother. We’ve been to hell together. But we’re on different paths,” Harry said at the time.

“The relationship is ‘space’ at the moment. And time heals all things, hopefully.”