A bonding opportunity. Queen Elizabeth II‘s death may have opened the door for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to reconcile with the royal family following their decision to step down as working royals in 2020.
“The Queen’s funeral gave the royals a window of opportunity to heal as a family,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. While the insider added that there’s “still tension” between the Duke of Sussex, 38, and his brother Prince William, “they both agreed to put aside any hard feelings” as they mourned their late grandmother, who died on September 8 at the age of 96.
The source added, “They know it’s what the queen would’ve wanted and are trying to move forward from the past.”
On September 10, two days after the late monarch’s death, Us confirmed that the Prince of Wales, 40, invited Harry and Meghan, 41, to accompany him and Princess Kate to greet mourners who were gathered outside of Windsor Castle. The foursome, who were all dressed in black, shook hands with the crowd while thanking them for sharing their condolences.
“In the end, [William] elected to [invite them] because it was agreed amongst all of them that this very much the appropriate thing to do,” a second source told Us at the time, adding that he didn’t want their difficult relationship to overshadow the queen’s legacy. “For all of their differences in the past, many of which still linger, this was what The Queen would have wanted and William knew very well that it was no time to be holding onto grudges or distancing himself from his brother.”
“They needed to put on a united front and pay their respects for her sake as well as the monarchy as a whole and the people she served so tirelessly during her reign,” the insider continued.
The moment was particularly poignant, considering Harry’s relationship with the Duke of Cornwall took a turn for the worse following his and Meghan’s decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. In the wake of their departure, he and the former Suits actress moved to California and spoke about their difficulties with the palace in a tell-all interview in March 2021.
In the days following the queen’s passing, the brothers — who each shared heartfelt statements about the death of the grandmother — stood together again on Tuesday, September 13, when they joined their father, King Charles III, to receive her majesty’s coffin at Buckingham Palace. The following day, William and Harry walked side by side behind their grandmother’s casket as it was moved to Westminster Hall, where she would lie in state for the next few days.
The pair were later joined by their cousins Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn as they held a vigil in Elizabeth’s honor on Saturday, September 17.
