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Prince William 'would never have discouraged Prince Harry from coming to the funeral of their uncle Lord Fellowes', insiders claim
William and Harry’s attendance at a memorial this week is not thought to herald a reconciliation after they apparently left without talking to each other.
The estranged brothers had family members between them as they departed the tiny church where the private service for their uncle took place.
Witnesses say they did not see them speaking at a reception afterwards.
The princes’ joint appearance at Thursday’s service to commemorate the life of former royal courtier Lord Fellowes, who was married to their mother Diana’s sister, Lady Jane, was described as a ‘pleasant surprise’. But in royal circles it is not being seen as a thaw in relations.
Prince William is still understood to be deeply hurt by Harry’s sustained and vitriolic attacks on his family. According to friends, he simply does not discuss Harry, and is instead focusing on his wife, Kate – who is still undergoing treatment for cancer – their children and his work.
William and Harry's attendance at a memorial service for their uncle is not thought to be a reconciliation
The brothers are not believed to have spoken properly for two years.
Harry, whose PR team had previously briefed friendly media to say he would not be flying to the UK for the event, is not believed to have travelled on to meet with his father at Balmoral.
King Charles is in residence at his Scottish estate with the Queen, and is about to host his new Prime Minister for the first time. Sir Keir Starmer and his wife, Victoria, are due to arrive today for the annual summer tradition.
Harry and Charles last saw each other briefly back in February, when the Duke of Sussex insisted on flying to the UK from California for a meeting that lasted barely 30 minutes after the King’s cancer diagnosis was announced.
Harry has since returned to London once more, in May, but the King’s diary was full with work and his cancer treatment, meaning they did not meet.
The prince has remained close to the family of his late mother, Princess Diana. Her brother, Earl Spencer, attended a service to mark the tenth anniversary of Harry’s Invictus Games in London, while no senior royal was in attendance.
Lord Fellowes was a long-time Buckingham Palace courtier who worked for Queen Elizabeth for 22 years until 1999. It was a period which covered both the breakdown of his sister-in-law’s marriage to Charles and her death in 1997.
He died in July at the age of 82, with a private funeral for a handful of close family held on Monday. A second larger memorial was held for 300 family and friends at his village church, St Mary’s in Snettisham, Norfolk, on Thursday. Sources cannot rule out the brothers acknowledging each other, or even exchanging greetings. It is understood they both sat at the back of the church but not near each other.
A Snettisham local said: ‘We never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.’
The vicar who conducted the service said that while he did not see them inside the church, William and Harry walked ‘a few people apart’ as they left, and he did not see them speak at the reception.
Lord Fellowes was a long-time Buckingham Palace courtier who worked for Queen Elizabeth for 22 years until 1999
The Reverend Dan Tansey admitted that he had been surprised to see them both there and had not been warned in advance.
Asked if the brothers were sitting near each other in the church, he added: ‘I don’t know because I was in the vestry.
‘When I came out to start the service, they had arrived, but I didn’t even know they were there until after the service when I was meeting people on the way out.
‘They came out and shook my hand, and said hello. I couldn’t see where they were sat in the church. I was just greeting one person at a time as they came out. They came out a few people apart.
‘Thankfully, I had not been informed so I wasn’t able to say anything to people who kept asking me about it. I was in blissful ignorance.’
The Rev Tansey added: ‘It was only as I was thanking the congregation as they left that Prince William was shaking my hand, and then very quickly after that, so did Prince Harry. It was a surprise but a really pleasant one that they had both come, but maybe less shocking that William was there. On the way out, they both said thank you for the service and I thanked them for coming.
‘It would have meant a lot to Lord Fellowes to have them both at the service. He loved them both very much.’
The vicar could not recall Harry and William speaking to each other at the reception. He said: ‘I don’t recollect them speaking to each other but there were a lot of family members and friends speaking to them. It was wonderful that the princes could both be there to support their aunt and cousins.’
Harry flew out of Los Angeles on Tuesday and slipped into the UK without fanfare. The prince, who is suing the Home Office for withdrawing his police protection when he quit royal duties and left the UK and says it is unsafe to bring his wife or family here, then travelled to Norfolk to attend the memorial.
The parish church of St Mary in Snettisham, Norfolk, where the memorial service for Lord Fellowes was held (file photo)
Harry’s spokesman failed to respond to a request for comment. Kensington Palace also declined to comment on behalf of William, citing it as a private matter.
But another source said William would never have stepped in to discourage his brother from coming to the service. They said: ‘His [Harry’s] appearance came as a surprise to most people, I think. I couldn’t say what the ins and outs were, but what I can tell you is that Prince William is a decent guy.
‘He would understand that his brother wanted to be there and that [his invitation] would be a matter for the Spencer family. I am sure he would have been warned beforehand and would have taken it in his stride. He is good at compartmentalising things like that.
‘Don’t forget it was his [William’s] idea, despite everything that had happened, to ask Harry and Meghan to join himself and Catherine for that walkabout at Windsor after Queen Elizabeth died. He did that knowing what his brother had done and that he planned to bring out his book. But he will always do the right thing in the circumstances.’