Prince Harry and Prince William avoided each other during a family gathering, showcasing the ongoing tension between the two royal brothers.
Harry, aged 39, and William, 42, were both present at a memorial service honoring their mother’s brother-in-law, Lord Robert Fellowes, on Thursday, as reported by the BBC.
The Duke of Sussex arrived in England from his residence in Montecito, California, to reunite with family, including the Prince of Wales, at St. Mary’s Church in Snettisham.
The memorial service took place just a stone’s throw from the royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
A source familiar with the event confirmed to the BBC that both princes were indeed in attendance.
“It was heartening to see both princes come together for their uncle’s memorial service at St. Mary’s Church,” shared a church warden who chose to remain anonymous.
“The service offered a lovely family moment, honoring the life of a truly special man, surrounded by many friends and familiar faces of the St. Mary’s Church community.”
According to reports, the princes attended the memorial “discreetly,” but it appears they maintained a courteous distance from each other.
Lord Fellowes, beloved family member to Harry and William, was married to Lady Jane Spencer, Princess Diana’s sister, for over four decades, with three children to cherish.
A fascinating connection is revealed, as he was also a cousin to Ronald Ferguson, father of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
Throughout his career, Lord Fellowes served in Queen Elizabeth II’s private office from 1977 to 1999, holding the role of her private secretary and undertaking pivotal responsibilities within the royal household.
In a notable twist, Prince Harry managed to sidestep another potential encounter with William earlier this summer.
During a February visit to the U.K., Harry visited King Charles III after the monarch’s cancer diagnosis, an act of familial solidarity amidst the growing rift between the brothers.
The ongoing discord traces back to Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from royal duties in 2020, a decision taken in light of what they deemed relentless scrutiny and racism from the press.
This ongoing family saga, steeped in royal tradition yet imbued with human emotion, serves as a haunting reminder of how grief can intertwine with unresolved conflict. It makes one ponder the significance of shared family moments that can become rife with tension, especially when past grievances linger just beneath the surface. The irony of two brothers, bound by blood yet divided by circumstance, attending a heartfelt ceremony only to remain at arm’s length is a poignant tableau of modern royal life.
