Prince Harry and Prince William are on the road to reconciliation following their reunion at the funeral of their grandfather, Prince Philip. The royal brothers might have walked separately during Saturday’s funeral procession, walking on either side of cousin Peter Phillips as they followed their grandfather’s coffin to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, but were spotted looking casual while chatting after the service.
The funeral was the first time Prince William, 38, and Prince Harry, 36, had been together in person for more than a year since Harry moved across the pond with wife Meghan Markle to live in California after announcing they were stepping back from their royal duties. “I think it’s a good start and it was lovely to see but this whole argument runs so deep, I don’t think there is any quick fix,” a family friend told PEOPLE of the brothers being together over the weekend. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty more work to be done on their relationship. “Knowing family, it can mend a bit and then can slip back a bit,” a royal insider added to the publication.
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Despite the buzz surrounding the possible tension between the brothers leading up to the funeral, a source close to Harry told Harper’s Bazaar, “This trip was to honor the life of his grandfather and support his grandmother and relatives. It was very much a family-focused period of time. Saturday broke the ice for future conversations, but outstanding issues have not been addressed at any great length. The family simply put their issues to one side to focus on what mattered.”
Much of the drama stems from Harry and Markle’s sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey on CBS last month, in which the Duchess of Sussex accused the royal family of racism, including expressing “concern” about the color of her baby’s skin color before Archie was born. The former Suits actress also alleged that when she reached out for help after developing suicidal feelings, she was brushed off. Following the interview, William denied any claims about racism, telling a Daily Express reporter, ” We are very much not a racist family.” When asked at the time if he had spoken to his younger brother after the tell-all interview, he responded, “No, I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I will do.”
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