As was to be expected, after the Queen’s death in September 2022, Britain was awash with floral tributes for the beloved monarch.

And perhaps at no place was this more visible than at her treasured home of Windsor Castle.

It was only two days after her death, but hundreds of royal fans had gathered there with bouquets in their arms to pay their respects after her record-breaking 70-year-long reign. 

And following the long-running tradition of royals going out to greet the public after a death in the family, her grandsons Prince Harry and Prince William walked forward to meet the crowds.

They had done something similar a quarter of a century earlier in 1997 when, then aged just 15 and 12, they walked among the crowds at Kensington Palace following the tragic death of their mother Princess Diana.

But this time their walk and talk with the public at a time of national mourning was in entirely different circumstances. 

Yes, the brothers were now fully grown men, and married too, each walking side by side with their wife – but more importantly, they were now sadly estranged after the Sussexes dramatically left ‘The Firm’ in January 2020, stepping down as senior royals.

The awkwardness of the encounter was so great that Princess Kate found it ‘one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do’, according to a book.

Footage from the notoriously awkward Windsor walkabout has now resurfaced which seems to show Meghan ignoring royal protocol by holding onto flowers and turning away the aide who tried to help her correct the mistake

After Meghan dismisses the aide’s effort to help, she turns around and smiles – flowers firmly still in hand

Meghan seemed to want to hold onto flowers during the sombre 40-minute walkabout – despite royal protocol dictating they give them to aides for safety reasons

To make matters worse, it seems Meghan had forgotten the proper etiquette when it came to dealing with the bunches of flowers grieving royalists were handing them. 

Royal protocol dictates that when a member of The Firm is handed flowers they should pass them back to their private secretaries and personal assistants.

The aides will then lay the flowers properly, allowing the royals to keep their hands free to shake hands with more mourners.

There is also a more serious reason: the bouquets could contain dangerous substances or explosives, so royals are not meant to carry them. 

But footage from the occasion has now resurfaced which seems to show Meghan ignoring this practice and turning away the aide who tried to help her correct the mistake.

When approached by the staff member who correctly wanted to take the growing number of bouquets from her, a clip showed the royal initially said she would place them at the gates herself. 

A lip reader has revealed to MailOnline that he said to her: ‘Would you like any help with those at all?’

But Meghan responds by saying, ‘Oh thanks some are over there (or they may have said I’ll put them over there)’, as she points ahead of her.

Meghan Markle suffered the awkward moment at the walkabout in Windsor after the Queen’s death in September 2022

Catherine, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle to greet royal fans

After a little to-ing and fro-ing, Meghan eventually did let go of the flowers 

The Duchess was handed multiple bouquets of flowers by royal fans waiting in the crowd, but appeared to be keen to hold onto them 

The Duchess of Sussex met members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire

She then added: ‘I’ll take these, thanks appreciate it.’

But despite the polite choice of words by the Duchess, some social media users have suggested her body language on the other hand was abrupt and rude.

One said ‘she didn’t thank him’ but instead claimed ‘she bit his head off’.

Another suggested she wanted a ‘photo moment’ of her laying down the flowers with all the others. 

It turned out that the male aide was actually Lee Thompson, the high-flying Press Secretary to Prince William and Kate who had been hired a few months before.

Although he was quickly dismissed by Meghan, up until that point he had an impressive career which involved him climbing the ranks at US mass media empire NBC, using his digital skills to grow CNBC’s YouTube audience by 600 per cent.

Despite Lee’s abrupt rejection of his offer to take the flowers, another clip showed a second aide, a female on this occasion, trying again and making the same request to Meghan moments later. 

But this time, at the encouragement of Prince Harry, the Duchess eventually handed over the blooms – her apparent promise to take flowers to the gates herself broken.

Moments later a second member of staff approached her and appeared to tell her that they had to take them from her, and this time, the Duchess handed over the blooms

It turned out that the male aide who was rejected by Meghan was actually Lee Thompson, the high-flying Press Secretary to Prince William and Kate who had been hired a few months before

The group wave to crowds lining the Long Walk on September 10, 2022 

Protocol dictates that aides or security staff lay down the flowers – not royals. Pictured: A police officer lays down flowers outside the Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022

The practice of aides taking the flowers from royals has long been established, and it is thought Meghan would have been briefed on the practice beforehand.

Other rules around flowers include whenever a cellophane-wrapped bouquet is handed to royal, it is always stripped of any plastic before it is laid down to prevent it blowing off and becoming litter.

And if royals are on tour some of the flowers will be displayed in their hotel room, but most will be given to local hospitals and charities. 

Any other gifts have to undergo a security inspection before the royal can choose to either give them to staff (if they are under £150) or donate them to charity.

Security for set-piece walkabouts are so controlled that no one should ever retain items given to them by strangers on a rope line. 

The instance was not the first time Meghan had drawn controversy for seemingly being prepared to go against royal protocol.

Other footage from the same event showed Meghan seemingly try to walk in from of the more senior royals, in this case William and Kate.

And on her first ever engagement with the Queen in June 2018 she raised a few eyebrows when she was filmed entering a car before the monarch. (Although Harry later claimed in his memoir Spare she only did so because the Queen had specifically asked Meghan to get in before her.) 

The Windsor walkabout had echoes of when Prince William and Prince Harry went to meet royal fans outside Kensington Palace on September 5, 1997, after the death of Princess Diana

A 12-year-old Prince Harry takes a bouquet of flowers from royal fans outside Kensington Palace

After all, Meghan hasn’t been the only person to have seemingly made a royal faux pas in the company of the Queen. 

US President Donald Trump caught a wave of social media attention when he gaffed by walking in front of the monarch as they inspected a guard of honour in 2018.

In a family so steeped in tradition and protocol, its members were taught royal etiquette and traditions by royal household staff from a young age.

As Meghan had married into The Firm at the age of 36, she had obviously not been brought up to appreciate all of the rules of life in the limelight like her husband.

The American actress had to learn how to give a proper royal handshake, stand up when the Queen does, avoid any PDA and remember not to sign any autographs.

Her training also included how to greet dignitaries – and expect to be greeted – as well as how to behave on royal engagements and the intricacies of palace life.

And although the etiquette of knowing what to do when taking a bunch of flowers may seem minor, it is taken very seriously by those in the institution.

So when Meghan and Harry stepped out of the Windsor estate with Kate and William on September 10, 2022 – two days after the Queen’s death – they had thousands of people watching their every move.

As Meghan and Harry stepped out of the Windsor estate with Kate and William (two days after the Queen’s death) on September 10, 2022, they had thousands of people watching their every move

Meghan and Harry chat to mourners outside Windsor after the Queen’s death

The couple view the floral tributes for the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Windsor Castle

The Sussexes stopped to shake hands and speak with the large crowd which had gathered 

William sweetly grasps the hand of an eager child during the walkabout

William diligently looks over a card drawn up by a young royal fan

It was the first time that the two couples had all appeared in public together since Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020, just weeks before the first Covid lockdown. 

Many of those in the crowd at Windsor were amazed by the surprise joint appearance, expressing their happiness online that the ‘Fab Four’ had reunited. 

When the quartet appeared they were greeted with applause as they inspected the sea of floral tributes laid outside the gates of the royal estate in honour of their much-loved grandmother.

But the brothers barely interacted during the sombre 40-minute walkabout and appeared to stick to their two couples.

Body language expert Judi James told the Mail that there were ‘no signs of affection’ and lots of ‘awkwardness’.

She said William had a ‘puffed chest and air of confidence’ which made him look like ‘the leader and instigator’. 

It was later reported that their father the King had ordered his warring sons to set aside their ongoing feud ahead of the Queen’s funeral.

Royal sources said William extended an ‘olive branch’ to his younger brother Prince Harry by asking him to join him on a walkabout after taking a phone call from Charles.

A mindful security guard watches as Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet the mourners

One excited little girl got special attention from Meghan who knelt down to clasp hands and share a kind smile

But beneath the surface there were simmering tensions at the Windsor walkabout 

William and Harry were seen conversing briefly during the Windsor walkabout. The brief peace during the occasion is the closest thing they have had to a reconciliation

The Windsor walkabout came as the nation was mourning the death of Elizabeth II (pictured on April 28, 2022)

More details from the event emerged in November 2023, when Sussex-friendly biographer Omid Scobie published his book Endgame, which claimed it had all been orchestrated by the Waleses’ press secretary to ‘keep up appearances’.

The book stated that the ‘silence was palpable’ during the 150-second car journey from their residences to the Long Walk, which Scobie said must have seemed like ‘an eternity’.

The awkward Windsor walkabout revealed the sorry state of the relationship between the brothers, who as boys were inseparable as they found solace in one another while they coped with the shattering loss of Princess Diana. 

William’s marriage to Kate contributed barely a quiver to this remarkable relationship as two became three.

When Meghan arrived with her Hollywood glamour the threesome was dubbed the Fab Four – but it would soon be revealed there were cracks beneath the surface.

At the time of the walkabout, their feud had only worsened after Harry and Meghan dramatically left their position as senior royals and moved abroad (dubbed by the Press as ‘Megxit’), and later took the decision to speak to Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell interview in which they effectively accused the Royal Family of racism.

As although some in the crowd greeted Meghan with stony faces, others were seen hugging her in moments of clear emotion.

At the time of the walkabout, their feud had only worsened after Harry and Meghan dramatically took the decision to speak to Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell interview in March 2021 when they effectively accused the Royal Family of racism

The Duchess of Sussex was likewise chatty with the crowds who had come to pay their respects

The Duchess of Sussex shakes the hand of a little girl perched on her father’s shoulders

The Princess of Wales hugging a man over the barriers

William, Prince of Wales, giving a wide smile to royal fans

An animated Prince Harry greeted people and interacted with the public as he walked outside Windsor Castle

Catherine, Princess of Wales, also warmly greeted the throng and shook hands

Meghan was given flowers when she stopped to chat to the mourners 

To both experts and royal fans, it looked for a moment that the occasion could have provided a turning point in the frayed relationship of the foursome.

Scobie later claimed on Twitter that the invitation was made at the ’11th hour’, declaring: ‘It is, without a doubt, a significant moment in the history of the relationship between the two brothers.’

One royal fan in the crowd who spoke to Harry and Meghan on the Windsor walkabout day told MailOnline: ‘It’s lovely to see them both together. Maybe they can get back to a proper relationship. 

‘Hopefully the healing between Harry and his brother can start now. I’m just so excited to have seen them both together. It’s lovely.’ 

But it proved to be a false dawn. Although they had temporarily put aside the differences that had been sparked by Megxit, the walkabout was not a lasting peace process.

Veteran royal correspondent Robert Jobson wrote in his 2023 book Our King the idea that the walkabout caused some kind of rapprochement was an ‘illusion’.

Things would get worse only a few months later when Harry and Meghan released their bombshell Netflix show, and then in January 2023 the Prince released his tell-all memoir Spare. 

And although the group would appear alongside the other royals at the Queen’s funeral, the Windsor walkabout would be the last time the four of them appeared together.

Despite Meghan seemingly forgetting royal protocol and trying to lay the flowers herself, some royal fans look back fondly on the occasion.

For those who hope that someday the siblings will bury the hatchet and resurrect the brotherhood bond forged following Diana’s death, the brief truce at the Windsor walkabout is the closest thing they have to a reconciliation.