Prince William masterminded the emotional reunion which today saw him, Harry, Kate and Meghan stand shoulder to shoulder once more.
In astonishing scenes the couples appeared – without prior notice – to inspect a sea of floral tributes at Windsor Castle.
The symbolic show of strength for mourners was a fitting tribute to their beloved gran the Queen, who died on Thursday.
Meghan and Harry held hands, then she placed a comforting arm around her husband.
Kate, 40, also placed her hand tenderly on William’s back.
There were audible gasps when the couples – not seen in public together for 915 days – emerged.
A crowd stood in stunned silence – then applauded as the quartet, dressed in black, forked off to speak to wellwishers for 40 minutes.
There were handshakes, hugs, smiles, tears – and bunches and bunches of flowers. The couples left in the same vehicle – a small, but symbolic gesture of togetherness.
A spokesman for William, 40, said it was the newly-annointed Prince of Wales who extended the invitation to Prince Harry, who is 38 on Thursday, and the Duchess of Sussex, 41. A senior royal source added: “The Prince of Wales thought it was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.”
Wellwishers at Windsor were delighted. Angela Thomas said: “It was absolutely incredible to see the brothers together again. They were really tactile and looked close. It’s emotional. I just hope this means they can properly repair their relationship because that’s what the Queen would have wanted.”
Her son Jenson, six, struck up a conversation when Harry spotted his Man Utd soccer shirt.
Jenson said: “It was better than meeting Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Meghan, meanwhile, bent down to chat to Cara Crawford, five, and her sister Evie, eight. Mum Jodie, from nearby Bracknell, said: “It’s fantastic to see William and Harry back together. Harry seemed really upset and I am sure he wanted to be here to pay his respects and speak to the public.”
Amanda Hackman, 49, of Thatcham, Berks, said: “I got emotional to see Harry. When Meghan got out of the car too, well, we just gasped.”
Banita Ranow, 28, saw Kate “welling up” as she spoke about how her the royal kids were coping.
She heard the Princess of Wales say: “Louis said at least Grannie is with Great Grandpa now.” Harry and Meg’s friend, author Omid Scobie, claimed the invitation for the walkabout was made at the “11th hour”. He declared: “It is, without a doubt, a significant moment in the history of the relationship between the two brothers.”
The couples were once the best of friends. But relations became strained and reports suggested Meghan had upset royal staff. The four worked on the Royal Foundation but Harry and Meg eventually set up their own office.
On a tour of South Africa, Harry hinted at a rift with William, telling a documentary: “You know, stuff happens. But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.”
Then in 2020 Harry and his wife announced they were stepping away from royal life and moving to Meghan’s native California.
Things hit rock bottom when they made claims against the royals in an interview with Oprah Winfrey – even accusing an unnamed royal of making a comment about their son Archie’s skin colour,
You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here
This weekend, the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror celebrate the life of Her Majesty the Queen with a commemorative special filled with all the key moments from Britain’s longest reigning monarch. Be sure to pick up your copy of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror to get both pullouts.
