Harry, William and Kate Leave Prince Philip's Funeral Side by Side after Paying Their Respects
By Rebecca Taylor
Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were spotted chatting as they left the funeral of the princes' grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Princes William and Harry have been reported to be at odds over the last few months and years, with Harry recently describing their relationship as at "space".
William, 38, had to defend the rest of the Royal Family as "very much not a racist family" in the fallout of an interview Harry, 36, did with his wife Meghan Markle and the TV chat show host Oprah Winfrey.
Harry and Meghan levelled accusations of racist remarks made by someone senior before their baby, Archie, was born.
All eyes were on Harry and William in the run up to the funeral of Prince Philip, which brought their reunion forward. It was thought their first meeting after the interview would not be until July, when they are set to unveil a statue to their mother, Princess Diana, at Kensington Palace.
Despite walking apart in the procession on their way down to the chapel, and being seated on opposite sides of the quire during the service, William and Harry were reunited, along with Kate, William's wife, soon after.
The trio left the chapel at the same time, with William appearing to wait for his younger brother outside.
They walked up the hill back toward the castle together, exchanging a few words.
These days the brothers are separated by thousands of miles as Harry and Meghan chose to live in California after stepping back from their senior royal roles.
William and Kate are taking on more work in the Royal Family, and have spent the pandemic working on projects related to the mental health and wellbeing of those on the frontline of the NHS response.
Although Meghan could not attend the funeral, because she is pregnant and could not get clearance to fly, she sent a handwritten card to accompany a wreath which they requested from the same florist who arranged the flowers for their wedding reception in May 2018.
Harry has had to be in quarantine since arriving in the UK, because there are no coronavirus travel corridors open at the moment.
He was staying at Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor, the home given to him and Meghan by the Queen after their wedding.
The coronavirus restrictions meant he had to sit alone, opposite his brother and Kate who were able to sit next to each other, as they are a household. – Yahoo
According to a BBC report, the princes walked with their cousin Peter Phillips in between them, as they walked behind their grandfather's coffin on its short journey to the chapel.
It was nearly 24 years since the two brothers made a similar walk together at the funeral of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
At the funeral service, the 30 members of the congregation wore face masks and socially distanced in line with Covid restrictions, with the Queen seated alone.
Also alone, Prince Harry sat on the opposite side of the aisle to his brother and sister-in-law Catherine.
The service, conducted by the Dean of Windsor, paid tribute to Prince Philip's "kindness, humor and humanity" and the "many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us".
The body language didn't look encouraging on the walk down to the chapel, though it was hardly the occasion for fraternal chit-chat.
The cameras did catch William and Harry as they left the chapel after the duke's funeral. Harry was talking to Catherine - William seemed a little reluctant to engage.
There is a rift. It is a distraction nobody would have wanted on a solemn occasion such as this and certainly not their grieving grandmother.
William feels let down and Harry appears to feel resentful. He is also very caught up in the lifestyle and attitudes of California.
So what impact, one wonders, will this brief but intense re-immersion in his old life have had on Harry?
He's been surrounded by his family on a day of heightened emotion. He's been surrounded too by the military and ceremonial: two things which he professes to admire.
Everything today must have said "duty" to him, the thing many say he's walked away from.
Will it have given Harry any second thoughts about the path he's taken? Will it have softened William's disappointment with his younger brother?
And most important, did they find time for a proper heart to heart, in deference to the memory of their grandfather who would undoubtedly urge them to move on and sort this out?
