Prince William and Prince Harry attended the pared-down funeral for their grandfather, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh on Saturday, one month after an explosive tell-all with Oprah Wifrey spawned rumours of a royal rift.
Philip, the husband and 73-year consort to Queen Elizabeth II died on April 9. He was 99.
Philip’s grandsons, William and Harry, walked behind his casket as it travelled in a modified Land Rover.
They were accompanied by their cousins, aunts and uncles as well as their father, Prince Charles.
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William and Harry did not walk beside one another, though.
What’s more, inside St. George’s Chapel, the men did not sit together.
Donning masks and sitting spread apart in accordance with COVID-19 protocols, the family mourned Philip during the simple ceremony.
William and his wife, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton sat directly across from Harry who sat alone.
His wife, Meghan Markle, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, did not accompany Harry to the funeral, however, sources told Reuters that Meghan would be watching the ceremony on television from their home in California.
After the ceremony, William and Harry could be seen chatting as they exited the grounds of St. George’s Chapel.
It was not clear what the two were discussing.
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Harry and Meghan took a step back from their roles as working members of the Royal Family in 2020.
After a short stint in Canada, the couple moved to California where they live with their son, Archie.
On March 7, during a wide-ranging interview with Oprah, the couple detailed their decision to leave Britain, and chronicled their time living at Frogmore Cottage.
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Facing extreme scrutiny from tabloids perpetuating false stories about her and Harry, Meghan said her mental health suffered. When she sought help, Meghan said she was ignored.
Meghan also said there had been conversations with unnamed members of the family who expressed concerns over how dark she and Harry’s then-unborn son’s skin might be.
However, a day after the interview aired, Oprah clarified on behalf of the couple that the Queen and Prince Philip were not part of those discussions.
At the end of the interview, Harry said he loves his brother “to bits,” adding that they have “been through hell together.”
“We have a shared experience, but we’re on different paths,” he said.
Harry said William is “trapped within the system,” which he and Meghan left.
William, the firstborn, is heir to the throne, and therefore cannot leave.
“And I have huge compassion for that,” Harry said.
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Asked where the brothers stand now, Harry told Oprah: “The relationship is space at the moment.”
“Time heals all things, hopefully,” he said.
The men, children of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, were born two years apart.
William was 15 and Harry was 12 when their mother was killed in a car accident in 1997.
Their father later married Camilla, Duchess of Cornwell in 2005. Both were in attendance at Prince Philip’s funeral.
