Despite their turbulent relationship, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex were seen chatting after their grandfather’s funeral five years ago today, with lip readers claiming the shared a heartfelt moment
Lip readers have claimed that both Prince William and Prince Harry were in agreement that their grandfather’s funeral was exactly what he would have wanted. The Royal Family said their final goodbyes to Prince Philip at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle five years ago today, with the estranged brothers sat facing each other during the scaled-back service.
The pair were spotted chatting after the emotional ceremony – which only a few select people could attend given the Covid pandemic at the time – sharing a poignant moment with each other in what some perceived to be a step in the right direction to heal their rift.
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According to lip readers, the Prince of Wales removed his face mask and said to his brother: “Yes it was great, wasn’t it,” to which the Duke of Sussex appeared to respond: “It was as he wanted.”
After leaving St George’s Chapel, William and Harry briefly exchanged words with the Archbishop of Canterbury. According to the Express, William then told his brother: “Absolutely beautiful service, ah, the music.”
Shortly afterwards, Harry and William walked together towards the castle with Princess Kate alongside them. The Princess of Wales was then spotted in conversation with Duchess Sophie, leaving the brothers walking and talking side by side.
Body language expert Adrianne Carter observed that the pair appeared relaxed in each other’s company, saying: “Kate seemed to take the lead in chatting, but when the brothers started to walk together it was entirely natural with no sign of stress or discord in their companionship. There was no forced show and no sign of avoiding each other.”
She added: “In fact William paused so Harry could walk up the hill with them. It looks to me like grief has reunited them.” It marked the first occasion Harry had been reunited with his family since relocating to the US with his wife Meghan Markle the previous year and following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey the month before.
A royal source said at the time: “It’s no secret tensions have been running incredibly high of late, not to mention the brothers have barely uttered a word to each other in many months. Perhaps with the Duke’s passing and their grandmother’s call for unity it could be the catalyst for a renewed relationship. Everyone certainly hopes so.”
ITN’s Tom Bradby added: “It’s often said funerals are a time for reconciliation and that’s a scene a lot of people wanted to see, not least the family itself.”
Meghan was unable to make the journey to the UK for the funeral due to her advanced pregnancy with Princess Lilibet, with her doctor advising against the lengthy trip. Nevertheless, she followed proceedings via a live stream from their Los Angeles home. Meghan’s biographer Omid Scobie described Prince Philip’s funeral as a “very sad day for Meghan”, noting that the Duchess of Sussex would also be mourning as she “has also lost a family member”.
During a live broadcast for American TV channel ABC News, the writer and journalist said: “Although Meghan isn’t here, she is of course supporting Harry. Her mind is very much on the situation over here. We know that she’s supporting Harry in this very difficult week for him, but she’ll also be sad because this is also the loss of a family member for her.”
Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021, and was laid to rest eight days later on April 17, at the age of 99, seeing out his final peaceful days surrounded by his family in Windsor Castle.
