Princes William and Harry attended their uncle’s funeral on Wednesday, putting them in the same room for the first time this year amid their bitter ongoing rift.
Sources close to Harry had indicated he would miss the service in Snettisham, Norfolk, for Lord Fellowes – citing his security concerns in the UK. But the prince made a secret dash from LA in order to attend.
Despite hopes for a thawing in relations, attendees said the warring brothers appeared to be ‘keeping their distance’, did not speak to one another and ‘sat apart at the back of St Mary’s Church after arriving very discreetly’.
Lord Fellowes, who died last month, was married to Lady Jane Spencer, sister of Harry and William’s mother Diana, and was the late Queen’s private secretary.
Tensions at the frosty reunion will, no doubt, have been exacerbated by the announcement from Harry’s publishers this week that he is set to bring out the paperback edition of his vitriolic memoir, Spare.
The re-issue of Spare, in October, will also re-ignite bombshell claims made by the prince against his estranged family including allegations that Prince William shoved him onto a dog bowl which smashed during a particularly explosive row.
Questions had been raised as to whether Harry would update the paperback edition with a new chapter – in light of the King’s cancer diagnosis and continuing family tensions – in the past 12 months.
But the fact he has chosen not to add to the revelations may be seen by some as an attempt to try and smooth over family ructions.
The last time the pair were together was for the King’s Coronation – more than a year ago. However, they were sat separately and were not pictured with one another. Before that, they were last pictured together at the late Queen’s funeral in 2022.
A local in the area told The Sun: ‘I didn’t know they were there. They arrived very discreetly.’
Another said: ‘William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.’
Earlier reports suggested the Duke of Sussex would not fly to the UK for his uncle’s funeral because of security concerns after losing a legal fight to retain his royal protection after leaving the UK.
Despite this, new reports say Harry, 39, did in fact make a discreet dash to Britain to attend the service for the 82-year-old who was their mother Diana’s brother-in-law.
The Duke is believed to have flown from Los Angeles International Airport on August 27.
The two brothers have barely spoken to each other since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the UK for the US and abandoned royal duties.
The rift was exacerbated by the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare in January last year that levelled accusations against his family.
Harry claimed that William, 42, branded Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’, and even accused him of pushing him into a dog bowl.
The Duke last visited the UK in May to attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral marking ten years of the Invictus Games, the sports event he helped to launch for injured soldiers.
He previously returned to the UK in February to see his father, King Charles III, after he revealed his ongoing battle with an unspecified form of cancer.
However, he did not visit his father while back in London – despite being a stone’s throw from the royal residences in the capital.
Since then, Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have embarked on a pair of pseudo-royal tours, visiting Nigeria in May and Colombia earlier this month.
The youngest brother also reached out to William after his wife Kate Middleton’s shock cancer diagnosis earlier in the year.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were understood to have made contact with the Prince and Princess of Wales ‘privately’.
It was also claimed in the United States that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex only learnt about Kate’s condition at the same time the world heard the news.
Sources told the New York Post that the couple had ‘no idea’ about Kate’s illness.
Hours after the news, the couple released a short statement wishing the Princess of Wales and her family ‘health and healing’.
The couple said they hoped Kate and her family would be ‘able to do so privately and in peace’.
Although they used to be close, it is believed the royal brothers have not spoken in nearly two years and are ‘estranged’, which a close friend previously described as ‘dreadfully sad’.
Harry is due to go on a trip to NYC next month, at the same time as his brother is likely going to host a summit in Manhattan.
The Duke of Sussex will ‘be in town to advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives,’ a spokesperson confirmed.
The trip is set to take place during UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week, the latter of which runs from September 22 until September 29.
His older brother may also be in the city at that time for the third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, which will be held at The Plaza Hotel on September 24.
It’s unknown if the Prince of Wales will attend for sure, but he was present last year at the same event.
Last week, insiders revealed that the heir to the throne has no plans to invite his younger brother to his coronation when the time comes.
Friends of the Prince of Wales reported that William does not want Harry to be in attendance when he is crowned King.
A source close to William told The Sunday Times: ‘This year his focus has very much been on his wife, his children and his father. His brother isn’t really something that’s discussed.’
Sources close to the Duke had previously suggested he would not be attending Lord Fellowes’ funeral amid his battle in the British courts with the committee in charge of royal security.
RAVEC, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, opted to discontinue with his security when he quit royal duties to live in California and pursue lucrative business opportunities in 2020.
Although he unequivocally lost his High Court challenge in February, he was granted permission to appeal in June.
Harry has said he no longer feels it is safe to bring his family to the UK, citing the risks posed by potential acid and knife attackers.
He has been told he can be given limited security if he notifies British authorities more than 28 days ahead of travel.
Lord Fellowes was married to the Duke’s aunt, Lady Jane, and was brother-in-law to Diana, Princess of Wales. He was also Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary from 1990 until 1999.
News of his death on July 29 had sparked speculation that Harry could be forced to face his estranged brother, for the first time since the publication of the memoir.
But People magazine, a US publication with particularly close links to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reported that he would not be attending amid his ongoing battle with the Home Office over the decision to withdraw his family’s round-the-clock security.
Prince Harry lost a High Court battle in February but he was granted permission to appeal in June.
He has previously said that he no longer feels safe bringing his family to the UK due to the security issues.
Details of Lord Fellowes’s funeral were not made public prior to the event and it is understood to have been a ‘very small’ and private funeral service for close family.
This will be followed by a private memorial service for ‘wider’ family and friends.
Representatives for the Duke of Sussex have been contacted for comment and Kensington Palace declined to give a statement.
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