HARRY AND WILLIAM TOGETHER AGAIN, A TONIC FOR BRITISH MURSING FOR PRINCE PHILIP
On a sunny but gloomy Saturday when Britain bid farewell to Prince Philip, the sight of her disputed grandchildren briefly reunited at the funeral gave every reason to smile.
Princes William and Harry were seen chatting outside St George's Chapel after the funeral. Earlier, they walked, with his cousin Peter Phillips among them, in the procession behind Prince Philip's coffin as he was transported in a Land Rover hearse to the historic chapel, which stands on the grounds of the 11th-century palace.
It was the first time Harry had been seen with the royal family since he and his wife Meghan made explosive accusations of racism and mistreatment against their relatives last month in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Even a former prime minister has weighed in in hopes of a reconciliation between the two brothers who were once famous for their closeness.
"It's lovely to see Harry and William together again, it's what we all wanted," said Martyn Rawlims, 66, of Kidderminster, central England. "This will probably bring them closer together, eventually there is always something good that comes out of it."
Prince Philip, Prince William, Count Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk outside Westminster Abbey during Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997. Jeff J. Mitchell / english - Getty Images file
For many in Britain and around the world, the sight of William and Harry walking behind their grandfather's coffin will echo the image of the two, as children, marching sadly behind the coffin of their mother, Prince Diana. , in 1997.
As he smoked a cigarette and gazed at Windsor Castle, Rawlims burst into tears as they remembered that day.
"She was just thinking, 'Ah, that's what brothers do,'" Rawlims said of Diana. "Sometimes it is a death that makes people come together and appreciate life more."
Harry “needed to get away a little bit to get a little space and the best thing that happened to him after his mother died was Meghan,” Rawlims said.
Prince William, Peter Phillips, Prince Harry and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence follow Prince Philip's coffin as he arrives at St George's Chapel.Paul Edwards / WPA Pool via Getty Images
Harry arrived in the UK earlier this week and headed straight to Frogmore Cottage, his home on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where he quarantined himself in accordance with coronavirus regulations before the funeral.
Older brother William has not publicly commented on the allegations the couple made in the interview, or Harry's description of the two's relationship as "space," other than saying that the royals "were not a racist family. ”.
Sandy Lewin, a 55-year-old teacher who lives not far from Windsor Castle, said her husband served in Afghanistan with Harry and that she attended the fanfare of her wedding to Meghan.
"It's very different because the last time we had something like this was at the wedding, which was just magical," she said. "Now it is very low and gloomy."
"We think of Harry's world," said Lewin, who placed a daffodil in Windsor Castle that she plucked from her garden last week when Prince Philip died.
Lewin added that many military men still hold Harry in high regard. She said that although she was a fan of the television show "Suits," in which Meghan Markle was starring before she married Harry, she did not approve of Oprah's interview.
Harry and Meghan's decision to distance themselves from the royal family has polarized much of the country and Jane Valder-Ryan, 55, who was walking her cockapoo dog “Woody” had clearly chosen a side. It wasn't from Meghan.
Princes William and Harry follow the Land Rover Defender carrying Prince Philip's coffin at Windsor Castle.
"Having the Duke of Sussex here just gives him more flexibility," Valder-Ryan said.
"We all lived through the accident in Paris," she said, referring to the high-speed car accident that left Diana dead and much of the UK in shock and mourning.
The public feels "protective" of the princes, Valder-Ryan said. "We think we have grown up with them."
