Prince Philip funeral ‘first step’ for Harry and William says expert

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The brothers will be seeing each other face-to-face for the first time in over a year at their grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday. The Duke of Edinburgh sadly died on Friday aged 99. The last time William and Harry were in the same room was the Commonwealth Day Service last year, when the tension was palpable.

Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had only recently announced their decision to step down as senior royals, which is said to have made William and the rest of the family feel “hurt”.

Despite Harry’s claim that he “never blindsided” the Queen, William reportedly feels like his brother disrespected their grandmother in the way he handled their exit.

Commonwealth Day last year saw all the senior royals convene in one place, dressed to the nines, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex barely interacted with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Ann Gripper and features Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.

The pair contemplated what it will be like when the brothers meet again, Mr Myers asserting that “the camera doesn’t lie” and that the tension between them will be clear.

He argued that the Commonwealth Day event is evidence that the brothers are not able to hide their strained relationship.

He said: “The camera doesn’t lie and will we be able to see an awful lot of tension?”

He added: “I’m talking more about when you could tell the tension between them at the Commonwealth Day event.

“I mean, gosh, it was just so icy.”

At the time of recording, it was assumed that the first time the princes would meet again would be at the unveiling of the Princess Diana statue in the Sunken Gardens of Kensington Palace, which is set for July 1.

Instead, they are meeting much sooner in very sad circumstances.

Referring to the statue unveiling, Mr Myers said: “I just think with these two, it’s not going to be this brothers of old, larking around, joking, unfortunately.

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“It will take time, because there’s a huge hole at the moment, isn’t there, and it needs to be repaired.”

On the other hand, Ms Gripper argued that sometimes “the camera does lie”.

She referred to Meghan’s story of how she finally admitted to Prince Harry the extent of her mental health difficulties, that she was having suicidal thoughts, and on the same day the pair of them had to go to a royal engagement.

When Harry suggested she stayed home, Meghan said that she didn’t think she should be alone.

Meghan Markle Commonwealth Day outfit 'calculated' says expert

In the photographs of the event, Meghan was “all smiles”, but she admitted that when the lights went down she was sobbing.

Ms Gripper said: “Did any of us spot that Meghan was miserable that night at Cirque du Soleil? No.”

While Prince Philip’s funeral will be limited to only 30 attendees, it will be fully televised, meaning William and Harry’s body language will be watched by millions.

The brothers spoke over the phone, ahead of this potentially tense reunion, shortly after Harry landed back in the UK.

An insider told the Daily Telegraph that they have put their differences aside in order to mourn together and support the Queen at this sad time.

The source said: “They know it’s not about them on Saturday ‒ it is about honouring their grandfather’s memory and supporting their grandmother.

“I would be extremely surprised if that wasn’t front and centre of both their minds.

“They will be keen to spend time together as family, in the same time zone for once.”

Another insider said: “The entire focus is on the Queen. No exceptions. A family unified.”

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