The two brothers and their wives, reputed to be cold for a few yearsall four marched abreast to the applause of the crowd gathered to pay tribute to the late Elizabeth II.
With this collective public appearance of the two brothers and their wives, the first since March 9, 2020, those who had once been nicknamed “the fantastic four” almost stole the show from the new monarch Charles III, proclaimed king a few hours earlier. . On Saturday evening, the image of the quartet was on the front page of the main British media, from the BBC to the Times and the Guardian.
The two couples first gathered in front of the bed of bouquets of flowers deposited by the hundreds, at the gates of Windsor Castle, where the monarch has lived most of the time for the past two years. They then enjoyed a walkabout, descending the famous “Long Walk”, a long avenue crossing the park which leads to the castle.
William and Kate on one side, Harry and Meghan on the other, they shook hands for more than 40 minutes, talked at length with the crowd and accepted the flowers that were handed to them. “Can I have a hug? a little girl asked Meghan, who nodded and leaned in to kiss her. The two couples then left in the same car.
Two brothers in conflict?
In a press release, Prince William had saluted the memory of his grandmother, honoring the “wisdom” and the “comfort” he received from her all his life. “My wife had his advice and support for twenty years. My three children were able to spend parties in his company, and build memories that they will keep all their lives, ”he writes.
This first public appearance of William and Harry will probably make the English tabloids talk, which have taken care in recent years to detail the conflicts between the prince and his brother and his sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, apparently little appreciated by the royal family and including Princess Kate – the latter is notably accused of having made Meghan cry before her wedding.
In 2019, Harry said he and his brother were on “different paths”. A few months later, he announced, with Meghan, want to distance themselves from the royal family. Since then, Harry and Meghan, settled in the United States, have multiplied shock statements – a castigating the racism of the royal family -, as well as pressure from the paparazzi. “We are really not a racist family,” William denied at the time.
According to a royal source quoted by British media, William decided to put the argument aside by inviting Harry and Meghan to join him and his wife for the walkabout in Windsor. The day before, King Charles III also appeared to give his youngest son a helping hand by quoting him in his first speech as monarch, sending the couple all his ‘love as they continue to build their lives abroad’ . If they appeared together, the two brothers, however, remained distant.
Will the death of the queen warm up relations between the two couples? Nothing is guaranteed for the moment, while the United Kingdom enters a period of mourning before the funeral of the queen, scheduled for September 19.