Many had wondered whether a royal reunion might be in the cards for Britain’s estranged princes. There was a chance at Prince Harry’s trip to London for the Invictus Games thanksgiving ceremony in May, but Prince William was otherwise engaged hosting the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the season, just 20 minutes down the Thames. For a moment, it seemed the brothers might make up when Prince Harry travels to New York in September, at the same time as William’s Earthshot Prize summit—but that was swiftly nipped in the bud after it was revealed that the Prince of Wales had no plans to fly Stateside.
Now, however, we know that the Duke of Sussex made a secret trip to the UK, unbeknownst to press, for the funeral of Lord Fellowes, the brother-in-law of Princess Diana. Also in attendance at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk? Prince William.
The brothers both made their way to the funeral service to pay their respects to Robert Fellowes, who served as a devoted private secretary to their grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth. But reports from sources suggest that there was no olive branch extended between William and Harry in Norfolk that afternoon. It is understood that the brothers sat separately in the church and did not engage in any conversation before or after the service.
The news comes ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's trip to Colombia.
The Duke of Sussex had previously stated that he had no plans to fly to the UK for Lord Fellowes’s funeral, but an insider told The Sun that they were “very happy to confirm both princes were there.” If the testimony of supposed eyewitnesses is anything to go by, the Windsor brothers had a less sunny outlook on events. One local said: “William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.” Another added that the brothers arrived “discreetly.”
The princes’ relationship has become increasingly strained over the past few years, a result of Prince Harry’s claims that his brother called Meghan Markle “rude” and “abrasive,” and that he pushed Harry into a dog bowl during a fight. The allegations came in the Duke of Sussex’s bombshell memoir Spare, and there were concerns that the recent announcement of the book’s upcoming release as a paperback might spark more vitriol between Prince Harry and Prince William. Per Richard Eden, however, the new edition of Spare will feature no extra information, and Harry will not be undertaking any promotional interviews.
When the tell-all memoir was first released, the Duke of Sussex toured late-night talk shows and prime-time news programs across the US and UK. During one particularly provocative interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, Prince Harry accused “certain members” of the Royal Family of deciding to “get in the bed with the devil” by leaking stories to the press.
Harry elaborated on his toxic relationship with the British media during a sit-down interview for the documentary Tabloids on Trial. While talking to Rebecca Barry, he expressed regret that the royal family had not taken on the tabloids together, acting in service to the general public: “This is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we did it as a family. I believe that from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good.”
While acknowledging that any reference to the royal family would generate abuse from the media, the Duke of Sussex admitted that his decision to engage in this series of public legal battles was a “central piece” in the breakdown of his relationship with the rest of the Windsors. “For me, the mission continues,” the Prince concluded, “but it has caused part of a rift.”
Despite their unity in grief following the death of Lord Fellowes, it appears that rift won’t be healing any time soon. Both Prince William and Prince Harry grew up around Fellowes, who the late Queen Elizabeth II called “the only one of my private secretaries I have held in my arms.” He died of undisclosed causes on July 29, at age 82.
It was Lord Fellowes who crafted the first draft of the late Queen’s address to the nation following the death of Princess Diana—to whom he was related through his marriage to Lady Jane Spencer (younger sister Diana was a bridesmaid). It was a dangerous time for the royal family, their relationship with The People more precarious than ever amid a perceived cold shoulder following the outpouring of public grief for the Princess of Wales.
According to The Times, he was a key player in divorce negotiations between William and Harry’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Fellowes’s sister-in-law thought of him frostily, once accusing him of conspiring with the Palace to hack her voicemails. On his part, Lord Fellowes said that he was “deeply fond” of the Princess of Wales: “She was a very good person. She found it difficult in life to find happiness, and I’m sad for people who have that situation.”
Tributes to the late Lord Fellowes after his death were led by his brother-in-law, Charles Spencer. In a moving statement on social media, the Earl said: “My absolutely exceptional brother-in-law, Robert, is no longer with us. A total gentleman—in all the best meanings of that word—he was a man of humor, wisdom [and] utter integrity. I’m deeply proud to have been his brother-in-law.”
This article first appeared on Tatler.
