Over the past couple of years, there has been much attention on Prince William and Prince Harry’s strained relationship. The fractured ties were closely monitored during the period of mourning after Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022 when the Waleses and Sussexes came together.
In a new book, Charles III: The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman has written about the moments about what happened behind closed doors – and the kind gesture Prince William made to his brother.
Remembering the day, the late Queen’s coffin had arrived at Buckingham Palace, the royal author revealed how the family got together for an “informal” supper and how Prince William and Kate later offered their police escort to Prince Harry and Meghan.
“Inside the palace, all the members of the Royal Family were there to welcome the Queen back to royal headquarters for the last time, followed by an informal supper,” he writes.
“Afterwards, the Prince and Princess of Wales suggested that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should attach their car to their police escort for the journey back to Windsor, since they were all going the same way.
“It was only a small gesture (they would not be sharing a car) and nowhere near any sort of reconciliation. However, the late Queen would have approved.”
Just days prior to the funeral, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accompanied Prince William and Princess Kate on their walkabout in Windsor where the two couples met with royal well-wishers who travelled to pay their respects.
This was the first time the two couples were seen coming together since the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the much talked about Oprah Winfrey tell-all interview.
It’s no secret that the relationship between William and his brother Harry has been strained in recent years – something which the Duke of Sussex spoke in great detail about in his memoir, Spare.
In the four years since Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals, the couple have been critical of the monarchy, telling their story in their Netflix documentary and Harry’s book.
The couple were asked earlier this year to vacate their UK home Frogmore Cottage, in a move sanctioned by the King.
In March 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also took part in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they made a number of allegations against the royal family.
They were reunited with the family during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022 and then again at her funeral in September. The last time Harry was seen with Prince William was when he attended King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation in May 2023.
