Princes William and Harry, along with their wives, made a rare joint appearance on Saturday, greeting well-wishers gathered outside Windsor Castle, near London, to mourn Queen Elizabeth II.
The siblings have reportedly been estranged since Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped away from royal life and moved to North America. Harry and William were last photographed together after Prince Philip’s death in April 2021, and the two couples had not been seen together in public for several years.
When the Sussexes lived in Britain, Meghan had a bitter relationship with much of the British tabloid press that endures today. They charged that the tabloids had incited racism against the Duchess; they also alleged that there was institutional racism within the monarchy and that Buckingham Palace had failed to protect Meghan. In recent days, as the spotlight on the two couples intensified again, Meghan has also been the target of abuse on social media.
Also, Harry’s arrival at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, alone, before his grandmother’s death on Thursday had become a topic of conversation. British media reported that King Charles III had told Harry that it was not appropriate for Meghan to travel with him to Balmoral before the Queen’s death, as they appeared to have intended.
But Saturday’s public appearance was the latest sign that the royal family may be mending ties as they gather to mourn the death of their family matriarch. In his first televised speech from Buckingham Palace on Friday, Charles expressed his love for Harry and Meghan “as they continue to build their lives abroad”.
On Sunday, many of the front pages of major British newspapers featured photos of the couple walking together, with headlines focusing on their reunion.
Harry is fifth in line to the throne, despite the controversial decision to step back from royal duties and move to the United States with Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Following the Queen’s death and Charles’ ascension as monarch, the two Sussex children are entitled to the titles of ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’. This right stems from protocols dating back to King George V in 1917, which establish that the sovereign’s children and grandchildren automatically receive royal titles. (The official palace succession list still refers to them as Master Archie and Miss Lilibet.)
Among the many mind-boggling claims the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made in an interview with Oprah Winfrey last year was the allegation that Buckingham Palace planned to deny Archie the title of prince, a decision which Meghan called mean and suggested she was motivated by institutional racism. within the monarchy
In another interview, Harry said he was considering the term “Megxit,” which was coined after he and his wife announced in January 2020 that they would be stepping down from their roles as senior members of the royal family and splitting their time between Great Britain and North America. – “misogynist”.
The prince and his wife have often highlighted how hate and misinformation online can affect emotional health and mental well-being.
A spokesman for William said he invited his brother and sister-in-law to join him and Catherine to meet mourners and watch tributes in Windsor.
The couple spent just over 30 minutes speaking to the public before leaving in a car driven by William, who became Prince of Wales after his father’s ascension to the throne.
“The Welsh had always been scheduled to greet well-wishers at Windsor Castle, but royal sources say the decision to invite the Sussexes was made at the eleventh hour,” royal watcher Omid Scobie wrote on Twitter. “It is undoubtedly a significant moment in the history of the relationship between the two brothers.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s line of succession, visualized
Royal watcher Camilla Tominey said that by reaching out to Harry to join him on Saturday and “put the rift aside”, William, next in line to the throne, has shown he lives by his grandmother’s example .
He described it as “one of the most remarkable walks in modern royal history” and an episode that would have made the late Queen proud.
“Queen Elizabeth II famously said that ‘it is often small steps, not giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change,'” Tominey wrote in Britain’s Telegraph newspaper.
Pannett reported from Sydney. Jennifer Hassan in London contributed to this report.