Prince William and Prince Harry have faced their fair (or unfair) share of personal losses this decade so far. They lost both of their grandparents — when Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth passed away in 2021 and 2022, respectively — and this August likewise saw them lose their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, brother-in-law to the boys’ late mother, Princess Diana.
Despite being a close relative of the two princes, the world was not expecting Harry to turn up at Lord Fellowes’ wake, due to the bad blood that infamously exists between the Duke of Sussex and his older sibling these days. Insider intel unequivocally stated that Harry was planning to avoid his brother at all costs and so was intending to skip the solemn occasion.
However, in what is genuinely an unexpected turn of events, Harry proved early reports wrong and has been confirmed to have attended his uncle’s funeral on Aug. 29. Anyone hoping this will be the first step towards a brotherly reconciliation, though, will be sorely disappointed.
William and Harry’s first reunion since King Charles’ coronation, explained
Although there are obviously no press photos from the private family event, Harry is known to have attended Lord Fellowes’ funeral, alongside William. This marks the first time the boys have been in the same place since King Charles’ coronation in 2023 — that time, however, they maintained a clear distance, with Harry seated in the third row. Despite this being a much smaller affair, it seems the pair still managed to avoid any direct contact.
As per The Sun, the Prince of Wales and his little brother kept themselves to themselves during the ceremony and sat “apart from each other at the back of the church.” A local from Snettisham, Norfolk, where the funeral took place, told the newspaper: “We never saw them speak to each other and they kept their distance.” Another individual who was in the vicinity of St. Mary’s Church at the time added: “I didn’t know they were there. They arrived very discreetly.”
In case the word of anonymous onlookers can’t be trusted, The Sun also reached out to a “close family friend” of the Royals who assured us the information was accurate, saying they were “very happy to confirm both princes were there.” Happy obviously isn’t a word usually associated with funerals, but in this case, it is perhaps uplifting to see the princes put their squabbles aside for one day, even if it sounds like they didn’t share any words directly.
The former private secretary to the late queen during the 1990s, Lord Fellowes — a relative of Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes — is survived by his widow, Lady Jane Spencer, older sister to Princess Diana. Fellowes was once accused of masterminding a conspiracy to murder his sister-in-law by Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son, Dodi, was killed in the same crash as Diana, but he was found innocent in an official inquest. Harry and William’s uncle died at the age of 82 from undisclosed causes.
