Queen Elizabeth II: William did not want to greet wellwishers without his brother
The surprise truce between the pair came about because William felt uncomfortable meeting wellwishers without his brother.
The unexpected truce between the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex outside the gates of Windsor Castle came about because William felt uncomfortable meeting wellwishers without his brother, The Times understands.
William and Harry’s show of unity alongside their wives, as they mingled with crowds and viewed flowers left outside, followed more than three years of bitter discord between them. It was a very public rapprochement as the foursome made their way down the Long Walk. On the Sussexes’ side, people shouted “Harry” and “Meghan” and passed them bouquets of flowers.
After spending 40 minutes inspecting the floral tributes, the four of them then left in the same car, with William at the wheel and Catherine in the front with him. The Sussexes were sitting in the back.
A spokesman for the Prince and Princess of Wales said: “The Prince of Wales invited the duke and duchess to join him and the Princess of Wales. The Prince of Wales thought it was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.”
The Times understands that William’s invitation to his brother was a relatively last-minute decision. Although one report has claimed that he reached out to Harry after talking to the King, it is understood that the decision was entirely William’s. The prince felt uncomfortable going out in public to honour his grandmother’s memory without his younger brother. Given the bad blood that has existed for so long between them, normally there would have been little chance these days of them carrying out a joint engagement.
Given that the Sussexes were staying at Frogmore Cottage, only a few minutes away, however, and that in the past they would always have done such things together - as they did, for instance, five years ago on the 20th anniversary of the death of their mother - William did not feel right doing it without Harry.
If there was any time to do the right thing, he thought, this was it. His motivation, it is understood, was not about how it would look but how his brother would feel about being excluded. The other factor is that William is said to have been upset by the focus on family tensions in the immediate aftermath of his grandmother’s death.
Commentary over the rift between the brothers had continued after it emerged that the Queen was unwell and following the announcement of her death. Speculation intensified on Thursday when it was made clear that the Duke of Sussex would be travelling alone to Balmoral without his wife, when the couple’s spokesman had said previously that he and the duchess would be going together. The focus on feuds only grew when Harry arrived in Scotland by himself, several hours after his brother and two uncles, the Duke of York and Earl of Wessex, who had all travelled together. Harry then became the first member of the royal family to leave Balmoral on Friday morning, departing alone with his security detail before boarding a commercial flight to London. William left a short time later.
After deciding to invite the Sussexes to join him and his wife on the walkabout, William is understood to have phoned Harry, who immediately agreed. It was not the first time they have spoken in recent days but although some reports have suggested that the 45-minute delay that followed was the result of extensive negotiations between the two couples, The Times has been told that it was merely because the Sussexes needed time to get ready.
After the walkabout - an emotional occasion for the brothers, who both had a strong bond with their grandmother - William is said to have felt glad that he did it. Harry and Meghan thanked Kensington Palace staff for their help and the atmosphere was very positive.
Amelka Zak, 14, who shared an “amazing” hug with the duchess outside Windsor Castle on Saturday explained that she wanted to show Meghan that she was “still welcome here”. She told CNN that she had enjoying seeing the Princes reunited, adding: “I just wanted to show her that she’s welcome here, I guess, and wanted to hug her after everything that’s happened.”
Despite the optimism prompted by the show of unity between William and Harry, one of the areas that has been a cause of contention between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family still appears to be unresolved. In their interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the couple suggested that their son, Archie, might be blocked from becoming a prince. The Sussexes told Oprah they had been told that protocols would be changed once Charles became King so that Archie would be excluded from becoming an HRH and a prince.
There have, however, been no such changes since Charles succeeded his mother. The rules, which have been in place since 1917, dictate that the grandchildren of the monarch automatically become prince or princess.
The official royal family website still lists the Sussexes’ children without their titles. In the updated line of succession it lists the sixth and seventh as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, below, with their parents.
A spokesman for the King said: “We will be updating the website as and when we get information.”
THE TIMES
