12 September 2023 , 06:00
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For several years now, princes William and Harry have been estranged. However, they did stun fans with a temporary ceasefire a year ago, in which the warring brothers and their wives presented a united front for the public. The Prince and Princess of Wales were memorably joined by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to view floral tributes and meet members of the public who had gathered to pay their respects following the death of Queen Elizabeth.
While many theories about the surprise walkabout were circulated at the time, it soon emerged that Prince William had sent a final-hour text to Prince Harry inviting him and Meghan to join him and Kate on the Long Walk in Windsor. It marked the first time that the two couples - who were previously known as the 'Fab Four' - were reunited publicly since the Sussexes stepped back from their roles as senior royals and relocated to the US.
Prince William was understood to have invited his brother and sister-in-law to join them for the walkabout (PA)During the 40 minute walkabout, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with Harry and Meghan, were filmed shaking hands with people who had gathered and accepted bunches of flowers and other gifts, such as Paddington Bear stuffed toys.
Dressed all in black, both couples looked slightly nervous as they arrived together in one car before spending almost an hour chatting to waiting fans outside the grounds of the castle. William and Kate were due to meet well-wishers and look at the floral tributes before William sent a text offering Meghan and Harry a last-minute invitation to join them, a source told the Daily Mail.
A well-placed source told the paper at the time: "It happened very quickly – remarkable really considering they didn’t see each other in Scotland." The paper reported that it was the Prince of Wales' decision to send his younger brother the olive branch of joining him for the walkabout, and it was "absolutely not the case" this was done on the direction of their dad, the new king, as was previously thought.
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A royal source was said to have confirmed that it was the Prince of Wales' decision to send his younger brother the olive branch of joining him for the walkabout. And suggestions William made the move after hearing Harry was planning to undertake his own walkabout with a film crew were "complete b******s", the paper was told.
It is thought the Prince of Wales had already mentioned the idea of viewing the flowers and greeting well wishers with Harry before reaching out to his younger sibling via text - something that was said to have been acknowledged by the Duke of Sussex. William felt that a show of unity was key during a period of national mourning out of respect for their grandmother. The walkabout was originally scheduled for 4.30pm but was reportedly pushed back by 45 minutes as William and Harry discussed their plans.
The two brothers both flew up to Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire to bid a final farewell to their grandmother, but tragically both missed her as she passed away at 3:10pm. The same day saw Prince William join King Charles for a dinner at his nearby Birkhall residence, while Harry remained at Balmoral to have dinner with other members of his family.