LONDON (AP) – A year after they last saw each other, Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, have set aside their full relationship as they say goodbye to his funeral on Saturday.
The brothers were gloomy and silent as they walked together in a procession behind Prince Philip’s coffin before his burial at Windsor Castle with their father, Prince Charles and other close relatives. They were seen talking and walking together after the service.
It was the first time the brothers were in public together since Harry quit his royal duties and moved to the United States with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their son Archie in early 2020.
Tensions between 36-year-old Harry and 38-year-old William have come to the fore after Harry and Meghan gave a revealing interview to American show host Oprah Winfrey last month. The couple described the royal family as indifferent to Meghan’s mental health struggles, and Harry described her relationship with William as “space right now.”
On Saturday, William and Harry walked in silence on both sides of their cousin, Peter Phillips, as they joined other superior kings in Philip’s funeral procession. At one point, Phillips fell slightly behind to allow the brothers to walk side by side – a visual echo of the moment when the couple, as boys, in 1997, walked behind the coffin of their mother, Princess Diana, in another royal funeral televised around the world.
The brothers sat next to each other in St. George’s Chapel for the funeral, which was attended by only 30 people due to coronavirus restrictions. While William was sitting with his wife Kate, Harry was alone, because Meghan is pregnant with her second child and was advised by her doctor not to make the long journey.
Later, Harry, William and Kate walked together outside the chapel. Moments later, the brothers went alone together while Kate spoke with Zara Tindall, another of Queen Elizabeth II’s eight grandchildren, who is the cousin of William and Harry.
Rumors of a breakup between the brothers – William, the heir and Harry, the “reserve” – have been rumored since at least 2019. Then Harry and Meghan broke up with the Royal Foundation, originally set up as a joint charity for the brothers set up your own platform. That year, Harry said he loved his brother dearly, but they were “in different ways” and had “good days” and “bad days.”
Many believe that William was upset and hurt by Harry’s decision to speak so publicly about the royal family’s problems during the Winfrey interview. In an explosive charge, they said a family member – not the queen or Philip – had expressed “concern” about the possible color of Archie’s skin before he was born. Meghan has a black mother and a white father.
Days after the interview aired, William insisted “we are not a racist family” and said he had not spoken to Harry since the broadcast.
It is unclear whether their grandfather’s passing will help the brothers heal their breakup. It was not immediately clear how long Harry, who is isolating himself under the coronavirus restrictions in the UK since arriving in California earlier this week, will remain in his home country.
Saturday’s funeral was limited to only 30 people, who had to wear masks, sit in family bubbles and remain socially distant in the same church that had hosted hundreds of people for Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding in 2018. And restrictions Continuation of coronavirus in the UK may limit the number of opportunities for siblings to smooth out their differences.
“Due to COVID restrictions, it is difficult to achieve decent conservation,” said royal biographer Penny Junor. “It’s probably quite difficult to sit down like you normally would at a beer and talk about things.”
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Watch full AP coverage of Prince Philip’s death at https://apnews.com/hub/prince-philip