Prince Harry and Prince William won’t walk side by side on Saturday as they follow their grandfather Prince Philp’s coffin.
On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced the outline of the funeral program for Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, who died on April 9 at the age of 99. The palace revealed that William and Harry’s cousin, Peter Phillips, will walk among the princes as they take the coffin to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, west of London.
The brothers will also sit separately for the service itself, with the Duke of Cambridge alongside Peter Phillips and the Duke of Sussex alongside Lord Snowdown, Harper’s Bazaar reported.
Palace officials declined to comment on whether William and Harry’s position was an attempt to minimize family tensions that grew after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey in March. The all-storyteller was viewed by nearly 50 million people worldwide.
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On Thursday, palace officials announced that Prince Harry (left) and his older brother Prince William (right) will not be walking side by side at Prince Philip’s funeral.
(Getty Images)
During the sit-down on television, the couple suggested that an unnamed member of the royal family had made a racist remark against Harry, 36, before the birth of their child Archie in 2019.
Harry, 36, later clarified that his grandparents had not made the comment in question.
While the brothers won’t be walking side by side, this lessens the chances of awkward moments between the pair who are still struggling with strained relationships since Harry’s decision to step down from royal duties last year.
Prince Charles, heir to the throne and father of the princes, will lead the 15-person procession along with his sister, Princess Anne.
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Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, will lead the 15-man procession.
(Getty)
Meghan Markle, 39, who is pregnant and lives in California with Harry, is not attending the funeral on the advice of her doctor.
The brothers had been closely watched as Saturday’s funeral will almost certainly remind the couple of their shared grief at another royal funeral over twenty years ago. As young boys, they both walked behind the coffin of their mother, Princess Diana, in London in 1997 in a ceremony that was watched around the world.
Harry previously told Winfrey, 67, that his relationships with Charles, 72, and William, 38, have been broken.
According to Harry, the royal family cut him off financially in early 2020 after he announced plans to step down from his roles. But he could afford security for his family because of the money Diana left behind.
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This image from Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, from the left, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, talking to Oprah Winfrey.
(AP)
Harry expressed dissatisfaction with the restrictions placed on members of the royal family – which played a role in his decision to relinquish his duties as a senior member.
“My father and my brother, they are all trapped,” he said. ‘They can’t go away. And I feel very sorry for that. ‘
After the interview aired, William became the first British royal family to speak out on the allegations of bigotry by his brother and sister-in-law.
While visiting a school in East London with his wife Kate Middleton, William told reporters who confronted him, “We really are not a racist family.”
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Prince William told reporters “we are not a racist family.”
(AP)
After Harry and Markle got married at Windsor Castle in May 2018, the royal family appeared to be welcoming the Duchess of Sussex, a glamorous former TV star. The pair were seen as a fresh young face for the monarchy of an increasingly multicultural country.
It didn’t take long for the fairytale to fall apart.
The couple retired from royal duties last year and eventually settled in California, where they said they wanted to escape racist coverage and unwanted invasions of their privacy by the British media.
During the interview, the Duke and Duchess shared that they are expecting a girl this summer.
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Prince Philip (center) died on April 9 at the age of 99.
(AP Photo / Alastair Grant)
Harry acknowledged to Winfrey that he and his brother are walking “different paths”.
“I love William very much,” Harry explained. ‘He is my brother. We’ve been through hell together. But we are on different paths. ‘
While Harry described his relationship with William as ‘space’, the prince insisted that he ‘will always be there for him’.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.