Prince Harry and Prince William Avoid Each Other While Attending Uncle’s Funeral: Report
Prince Harry and Prince William were both in attendance at their uncle’s funeral on Wednesday, August 28, but according to reports, the two kept their distance from each other.
Harry, 39, and William, 42, were both at the service for Lord Robert Fellowes, their mother Princess Diana’s brother and the late Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary from 1990 to 1999, at St. Mary's Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, per The Sun. Their uncle died at the age of 82 last month.
According to the outlet, a family friend said they were “very happy to confirm both princes were there,” but that the brothers did not sit near each other.
A separate source told The Sun that “William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.”
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The brothers have been in a state of discord reportedly since 2016, which escalated when Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, announced their exit from royal duties in 2020.
The last time Harry and William publicly reunited was in May of 2023 at their father King Charles' coronation, but the two brothers reportedly did not interact there, either.
Per The Sun, Harry, who now resides in California, was not expected to attend the funeral due to security concerns. However, he and Meghan recently wrapped a well-publicized four-day trip to Colombia, and Harry plans to be making a special visit to New York City for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly for Climate Week.
“During UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week in New York City, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, will be in town to advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives,” a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex, 39, announced in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, August 27.
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This will be Harry’s first solo trip to New York City since he and Meghan attended their Archewell Foundation’s first-ever in-person summit for World Mental Health Day in October 2023. That visit came five months after the pair’s previous Big Apple visit, when they were involved in a car chase.
The Colombia trip came amid a big year of transition for Harry and Meghan. The two — who are parents to Prince Archie, 5, Princess, Lilibet, 3 — have multiple Netflix series in the works, including a cooking show and a project about professional polo. Meghan is also preparing to launch her new lifestyle business, American Riviera Orchard, while Harry has been celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.