Photo: Getty
In a rare show of unity, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle joined together at Windsor Castle following the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Dressed in all black, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held hands while walking alongside the newly-titled Prince and Princess of Wales on September 10. In footage shared by the royal family’s YouTube channel, the brothers and their wives can be seen admiring the flowers left outside Windsor Castle in honor of Will and Harry’s late grandmother.
This marks the four royals’ first public appearance together since the California couple’s final senior royal engagements in March 2020. For the past few months, the rift between the brothers has seemed wider than ever as the couples kept their distance during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June. Prior to the Queen’s death, it was also reported that Will and Kate planned to “avoid” Meghan and Harry during their scheduled trip to the UK in early September.
Though Meghan and Harry were already in the UK at the time of Queen Elizabeth’s death, only Prince Harry joined his brother and King Charles at Balmoral Castle on September 8. While royal expert Katie Nicholl reported that Meghan Markle was not invited to join her husband, it’s important to note that Kate Middleton also remained behind and this likely has nothing to do with royal family tensions.
Now, People reports that the Prince and Princess of Wales extended the invitation for the Sussexes to join them in greeting mourners waiting along the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales look at floral tributes laid by members of the public on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022. Photo: Getty
On September 10, Prince William shared a touching tribute of his own to his “grannie” in an emotional Instagram post. “So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign. I, however, have lost a grandmother,” he wrote, in part. “And while I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful. I have had the benefit of the Queen’s wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade…She was by my side at my happiest moments, and she was by my side during the saddest days of my life. My wife has had 20 years of her guidance and support. My three kids have got to spend holidays with her and create memories that will last their whole lives.”
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He continued, “I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real. I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all. My grandmother famously said that grief was the price we pay for love. All the sadness we will feel in the coming weeks will be testament to the love we felt for our extraordinary Queen.”
Originally published in Glamour.com
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