A text from Prince William to Prince Harry led to the first public reunion of the brothers in months as they greeted well-wishers outside Windsor, royal sources claim. The Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex spent almost an hour chatting to the crowds of thousands, alongside Kate Middleton, the new Princess of Wales, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, the Star reported.
The relationship between the brothers has been strained for several months, and the couple were last seen together during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, where they attended the thanksgiving celebrations. William and Harry were last photographed together when opening memorial honouring their mother, Princess Diana, in July last year.
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Following the surprise appearance, it has emerged it occurred after William texted Harry, having previously spoken to his brother on whether he would like the couples to view the flowers together
A royal source added: “The Prince of Wales thought it was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.”
But there were "extended negotiations" between the camps, claims sources, that delayed their arrival by 45 minutes..
An insider told the Daily Mail: "It happened very quickly – remarkable really considering they didn’t see each other in Scotland."
Meghan's friend Omid Scobie, later said on Twitter that the invitation was made at the "11th hour".
Talking about the olive branch extended to the Sussexes's: "It is, without a doubt, a significant moment in the history of the relationship between the two brothers."
Rumours that it was prompted by Charles have been dismissed, with one source saying that was "absolutely not the case".
Discussing the possibility that it might repair the brother's fractured relationships, another insider declared: "William loves his brother but there is this matter of trust."
Another source added: "The problem is that they have barely spoken for two years and there is both anger and grief about it all on both sides."
But it delighted well-wishers to see the 'Fab Four' reunited, with one saying: midwife Karen Stevens, 47, expressing hopes that his reign would reunite them.
Ms Stevens, who travelled 45 minutes to lay flowers at Windsor Castle in memory of the Queen on Monday, said it had been “lovely” to see the brothers come together to mourn their grandmother on Saturday.
"It’s a momentous day. She gave so much to the country we feel like coming here today is giving a little something back, and even though we don’t live locally we wanted to come here to be close to it. We just wanted to come and just say our goodbyes really.”Ms Stevens, who attended with her sister and mother, added: “I think so far (Charles) has shown himself to be a very, very worthwhile, family man
"From my point of view, seeing Harry and William together was really lovely. Hopefully that’s something that’s now going to reunite them and they can move forward together as a family.”