William and Harry’s attendance at a memorial service this week does not immediately signal a reconciliation, as they reportedly left without speaking to each other.
The estranged brothers had family members with them as they left the small church where a private service for their uncle was taking place.
Witnesses say they did not see them speak at a reception that took place afterwards.
The princes’ joint appearance at Thursday’s service to commemorate the life of former courtier Lord Fellowes, who was married to their mother Diana’s sister, Lady Jane, was described as a “pleasant surprise”. But it is not seen in royal circles as a thaw in relations.
Prince William remains deeply hurt by Harry’s persistent and vicious attacks on his family. According to friends, he simply doesn’t talk about Harry, focusing instead on his wife Kate, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, their children and his work.
William and Harry’s attendance at a memorial service for their uncle is not seen as a reconciliation
It is believed that the brothers have not spoken properly to each other for two years.
Harry, whose PR team had previously informed the friendly media that he would not be flying to the UK for the event, reportedly did not travel on to meet his father at Balmoral.
King Charles is in residence at his Scottish estate with the Queen and is set to receive his new Prime Minister for the first time. Sir Keir Starmer and his wife, Victoria, are due to arrive today for the annual summer tradition.
Harry and Charles last saw each other briefly in February, when the Duke of Sussex insisted on flying to the UK from California for a meeting that lasted just 30 minutes after it was announced the king had cancer.
Harry has since returned to London in May, but the King’s schedule was full of work and his cancer treatment, so they did not meet.
The prince has remained close to the family of his late mother, Princess Diana. Her brother, Earl Spencer, attended a service to mark the 10th anniversary of Harry’s Invictus Games in London when no senior royal was present.
Lord Fellowes was a courtier at Buckingham Palace and worked for Queen Elizabeth for 22 years, until 1999. During that time, his sister-in-law’s marriage to Charles fell apart and she died in 1997.
He died in July at the age of 82, with a private funeral for a handful of close family members on Monday. A second, larger memorial service was held for 300 family and friends at his village church, St Mary’s in Snettisham, Norfolk, on Thursday. Sources have not ruled out that the brothers acknowledged or even greeted each other. They were both reportedly seated at the back of the church, but not near each other.
A Snettisham resident said: ‘We never saw them talking to each other and they kept their distance.’
The minister who led the service said he did not see them in the church, but that William and Harry had walked “in with a few people” as they left, and he did not see them speak at the reception.
Lord Fellowes was a long-standing courtier of Buckingham Palace and worked for Queen Elizabeth for 22 years until 1999
Pastor Dan Tansey admitted he was surprised to see them both there and that he had no prior warning.
When asked if the brothers sat next to each other in church, he replied, “I don’t know, because I was in the sacristy.”
‘When I came out to start the service, they were already there, but I didn’t even know they were there until I was waiting for people to leave the church after the service.
“They came out, shook my hand, and said hello. I couldn’t see where they were sitting in the church. I just greeted one person at a time as they came out. They came out with a few people in between.
‘Luckily I wasn’t informed, so I couldn’t say anything to people who kept asking. I was blissfully unaware.’
The Rev Tansey added: ‘It was only when I thanked the congregation as they left that Prince William shook my hand, and very quickly afterwards Prince Harry too. It was a surprise, but a pleasant one, that they were both there, but perhaps less of a shock that William was there. As we left they both thanked me for the service and I thanked them for coming.
‘It would have meant a great deal to Lord Fellowes if they had both been present at the service. He loved them both very much.’
The vicar could not remember Harry and William speaking to each other at the reception. He said: ‘I don’t remember them speaking to each other, but there were lots of family and friends who spoke to them. It was great that the princes were both able to be there to support their aunt and cousins.’
Harry flew out of Los Angeles on Tuesday and entered the UK without much fanfare. The prince, who is suing the Home Office for withdrawing his police protection when he stepped down from royal duties and left the UK, saying it is unsafe to bring his wife or family here, then travelled to Norfolk to attend the commemoration.
The parish church of St Mary in Snettisham, Norfolk, where the memorial service for Lord Fellowes was held (file photo)
Harry’s spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Kensington Palace also declined to comment on William’s behalf, calling it a private matter.
But another source said William would never have intervened to discourage his brother from attending the service. They said: ‘His [Harry’s] appearance was a surprise to most people, I think. I can’t say what the ins and outs were, but what I can tell you is that Prince William is a decent guy.
He would understand that his brother wanted to be there and that [his invitation] would be a Spencer family matter. I’m sure he would have been warned and let it run its course. He’s good at compartmentalizing things like that.
‘Remember that it is his [William’s] idea, despite everything that had happened, to ask Harry and Meghan to join him and Catherine on that walk in Windsor after Queen Elizabeth died. He did that knowing what his brother had done and that he was going to publish his book. But he will always do the right thing in the circumstances.’