LONDON (AP) – When Prince Philip’s funeral takes place on Saturday, it will be more than a focal point for national mourning. Many will also look for signs of reconciliation between Prince Harry and the royal family, especially with his older brother Prince William.
It will be the first time Harry has come face to face with the royal family since he and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, relinquished royal duties last March and moved to California with their young son Archie. .
While that departure caused a huge rift in the monarchy, family relationships took another plunge last month when Harry and Meghan gave a candid interview with American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Among other revelations, Harry confirmed rumors that he and his brother had drifted apart, saying “the relationship is currently ‘space'” – although adding that “hopefully time heals all things.”
Harry also told Winfrey that for a time his father, heir to the throne Prince Charles, did not accept his calling.
And the couple threw a bombshell by revealing that an unnamed member of the royal family had raised concerns about ‘how dark’ their child’s skin tone might be due to Meghan’s biracial ancestry. Days after the explosive allegations of racism aired, William fired back, telling reporters he was “not a racist family at all.”
Despite the tensions, Saturday’s funeral will almost certainly remind the brothers of their shared grief at another royal funeral over twenty years ago – when they both walked behind the coffin of their mother Princess Diana in 1997 as young boys.
On Saturday, Harry, 36, and William, 38, are expected to join other senior royals and walk behind their grandfather’s coffin as the funeral procession makes its way through Windsor Castle.
Many observers believe that Philip’s funeral will be an ideal opportunity for “The Firm” to show a united front to the world and for the royal brothers to ease tensions. Philip, who had been married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than seventy years, died last week at the age of 99.
They shared emotion. They share the grief at the moment over the death of their grandfather, ”former Prime Minister John Major, who was appointed guardian of the princes after Diana’s death, told the BBC this week. “I sincerely hope that it is possible to repair any cracks.”
But Angela Levin, Harry’s biographer, said it would be inappropriate for the royals to talk about their personal issues in the run-up to the funeral, and that there may not be time after that when Harry rushes back to the US.
“I absolutely think it would be wrong to be all to oneself before the funeral. And I think it’s wrong to imagine them pouring out their hearts and hugging each other when so much has happened in the year and William has had to take on so much more responsibility, ”she told the AP. .
Penny Junor, another royal biographer, thinks the damage done by the Winfrey interview – especially the allegations of racism, which she called “unforgivable” – would be very difficult to come back to.
“(Harry) was disrespectful to his father. He was talking about a private matter on a global level. There’s a lot to be arranged, ”said Junor. Both brothers are “very stubborn people,” she added, “William must have been really hurt and angry with his brother during the interview.”
Harry arrived in the UK on Monday and is in quarantine, but he can attend the funeral in accordance with government regulations that make exceptions for such occasions. Meghan, who is pregnant with their second child, was advised by her doctor not to take the long journey, officials said.
The brothers have had different roles and personalities from birth, although these differences have become more apparent in recent years.
As the younger brother of a future king – the heir’s so-called “reserve” – Harry had far fewer responsibilities and a reputation as a party prince before serving in the army and settling down in his thirties. He found success and popularity in Britain with the Invictus Games, the sporting event he organized for disabled and injured members of the military.
Yet his place in the monarchy was further diminished with the birth of William’s three children, who brought him to the throne by the sixth place.
At least from 2019 onwards, it was clear that Harry wanted to take a break from the monarchy’s constraints to create his own story. That year, Harry and Meghan separated from the Royal Foundation, originally founded as the brothers’ joint charity, so they could have their own platform.
The princes’ separate statements this week in tribute to Philip reflected their personalities and different styles. While William stated that he and his wife Kate “will continue to do what (Philip) would have wanted and support The Queen for years to come,” Harry’s tone was much more casual and light-hearted.
The younger brother praised Philip for being ‘authentic himself’ and thanked him for his ‘dedication to grandma’. He also wrote, “As long as I could keep going, I know he’d say to all of us, beer in hand, right now, ‘Oh, go on’.”
Still, Levin and Junor said the brothers had been incredibly close since childhood, and both hoped that the time would come to settle their differences.
“Harry said to me when I interviewed him for my biography, he said William is the only person he can really trust,” he said. He felt that when he was going to meet people, he didn’t know if they liked him for what he was rather than who he was. But they could discuss everything, he and William. “
Historian Ed Owens, who wrote “The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public 1932-1953” about the Royal Family’s public relations strategy in the last century, agreed that it was “still early” for a royal atonement.
“I don’t think there will be any great kind of family gathering or a return to some kind of normalcy, kind of pre-Megxit anytime soon,” he said.
Associated Press Danica Kirka contributed to this report.
Read all AP stories about Prince Philip at https://apnews.com/prince-philip