Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Kyle O'Sullivan

How Fab Four supported each other - Meghan's sweet gesture and unexcluded Harry

For the first time in years, the 'Fab Four' put aside their differences as they reunited following the Queen's death. In a surprising and heartwarming moment, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle emerged from the same car as Prince William and Meghan Markle as they looked at tributes and greeted crowds at Windsor.

Seeing the once inseparable brothers taking part in a walkabout with wives Kate and Meghan was a source of comfort for many amid the nation's grief and conjured memories of how they were pictured mourning their tragic mother Diana, Princess of Wales, together as boys in 1997. Once referred to as the Fab Four because of their close bond, William and Kate were last seen in public with Harry and Meghan on Commonwealth Day in March 2020.

The Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reunited (PA)

But they were involved in a very public and messy row once the Sussexes quit royal duty and relocated to Meghan's native California amid a family fall-out that has festered for two-and-a-half years.

The tense row quickly boiled over - with Harry claiming his brother was "trapped" within the royal system during a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey after quitting as a senior royal.

However, the Queen's death brought the brothers back together again as they mourned their beloved grandmother and walked side by side behind her coffin in several processions.

The Fab Four have had a number of touching interactions over the last fortnight - with Harry and Meghan also supporting their niece and nephew, Princess Charlotte and Prince George.

Here is a look at how the two couples have supported each other since the Queen died.

Fab Four reunited after olive branch

It was as if the clock had been turned back when Prince William and Kate Middleton stepped out at Windsor alongside Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

In a move that surprised everyone, the Sussexes joined the Prince and Princess of Wales as they thanked well-wishers who had travelled to pay their respects.

A royal source claimed Prince William decided to put months of tension and upset with his brother Harry aside by offering an olive branch to show "unity".

Speaking after the walkabout, a royal source said: "The Prince of Wales thought it was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family."

While the Sussexes' biographer Omid Scobie tweeted that William had made the decision "in the eleventh hour".

There appeared to be some initial awkwardness, but they all started to interact and William pointed something out to the other three.

Harry and William speak

(PA)

While viewing tributes at Windor, Harry and William shared a touching moment.

After looking at many of the tributes, all four walked off together and the two brothers got very close in heartwarming scenes.

The pair started talking to each other for a few seconds and gave each other support.

Then the two couples went off in separate directions and went to speak to people on different sides of the road, as is traditional for royal walkabouts.

All four royals took bunches of flowers to add to the sea of tributes and shook hands with people who had come out to meet them - with Meghan sharing a hug with one girl and William getting offered some personal training.

After the couples had spent around 45 minutes viewing ­tributes and thanking the visitors, they got back into the waiting Audi.

William could be heard asking his brother, "Are you coming in our car?" before he got into the driver's seat with Kate next to him, while Harry and Meghan took seats in the rear.

William's gesture to Harry

William turns to face his brother Harry (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Prince William offered his estranged brother a telling gesture at the Queen's funeral that perhaps signalled a breakthrough in their feud, a body language expert claimed.

Candid shots of the royals who took part in the procession behind the late monarch's coffin in Windsor Castle show them awaiting the arrival of the funeral cortege.

Harry appears to slightly keep his distance from part of the group, who seem deep in conversation with the King while the Earl of Snowdon, Sir Timothy Laurence and the Duke of Gloucester chat in another bubble.

According to body language expert Judi James, it's obvious that Harry is "physically excluded" from the group but there is a sign that William and Harry could be starting to repair their long-running feud.

She told the Mirror: "Harry looks physically excluded or sidelined in this grouping with some royals gathering around Charles while the others stand with the Earl of Snowdon, almost with their backs turned to Harry.

"The one moment we have not seen during this visit, despite Charles’s warm words during his speech, is any form of physical meeting between Harry and his father Charles.

"All the attention has been on Harry and William but they have performed a couple of forced-looking chatting rituals in the past, and in the Oprah interview it seemed to be his father that received all the really negative body language responses from Harry, rather than William.

"William does seem to have hung back slightly here, which could hopefully be prompted by empathy and the brothers might just be looking in each others’ direction and even speaking, even if their body language is not mirrored as usual.

"Hopefully these images outside do signal a breakthrough in terms of the sibling relationship and once the funeral is over and there is no risk of dragging sibling soap operas into the spotlight there might be one last sign of some sort of a reunion."

Meghan's sweet Charlotte moment

Meghan Markle comforted Princess Charlotte with a smile when she gazed over her shoulder (SKY NEWS)

Following the Queen's funeral, Meghan was seen sharing a comforting smile with Princess Charlotte as they left Westminster Abbey.

Charlotte was one of the youngest members of the royal family to attend the state funeral along with her older brother, Prince George, while little four-year-old Prince Louis was left at home.

The seven-year-old Princess arrived with her mother, Kate, and Queen Consort Camilla before reuiniting with her uncle and aunt.

Recognising the distress the young royal must be in following the death of her great-grandmother, the Duchess of Sussex gave her niece a sweet grin when she gazed over her shoulder after exiting the building.

Noticing Meghan's attempt to comfort her niece, one Twitter user said: "It looked like Meghan tried to smile at Princess Charlotte."

Another user added "Pretty sure when they are walking out of the church, Meghan smiles at Princess Charlotte."

Harry's smile at Charlotte

Charlotte and Prince Harry shared a touching moment (Getty Images)
Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrive at the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II (PA)

There was a touching moment during the Queen's service at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

Princess Charlotte and older brother Prince George joined their parents for the second historic moment of the day - Her Majesty's committal service led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Prince and Princess of Wales' daughter took her seat alongside her mum on one side and her uncle, Prince Harry, on the other as they said goodbye to the Queen.

At one point, seven-year-old Charlotte was seen adjusting her brimmed hat before looking over at her uncle.

In heartwarming scenes, Harry briefly made eye contact with his niece and gave her a kind smile.

Temporary truce

They put aside their differences (via REUTERS)

It was reported that William and Kate had struck a 'truce' with Meghan and Harry ahead of the funeral.

And it's set to remain until after Harry publishes his memoir, royal insiders have told The Mirror.

The future of their relationship hangs in the balance despite the siblings appearing on a public ­walkabout together with their wives in a show of unity following the Queen’s death.

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex also stood shoulder to shoulder during a solemn procession from Buckingham Palace to ­Westminster Hall last week, guiding Her Majesty on a final journey before her lying in state.

Royal sources insisted any thawing of relations would almost certainly be a "temporary truce" unless attitudes can change.

One said: "It was a single act of compassion due to extraordinary circumstances.

"Everyone is grieving and anything else right now pales into ­insignificance. Whether this could be a ­catalyst to anything more... well, I would find that exceedingly hard to believe unless there was a major shift in ­attitudes."

Efforts to heal rift

Is there a future for the Fab Four (Getty Images)

It remains to be seen as to whether the Fab Four can go back to how they were before.

According to a friend of the Sussexes, there have been "efforts on both sides" to heal rifts with their royal relatives.

But TV host Gayle King, who is known to be close to Meghan and attended her baby shower in New York before she gave birth to son Archie, added it remains to be seen if they can bury the hatchet with the likes of King Charles and Prince William.

Speaking after the Queen's funeral, Ms King said: " There have been efforts on both sides … to sort of make this right.

"Big families always go through drama, always go through turmoil. It remains to be seen — are they going to be drawn closer together or are they going to be drawn apart?

"I have no idea, I have no inside information on that, but I will tell you this: It was good to see Harry standing with his family."

You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.