Will Prince Harry 'put pressure' on William to keep Kate from statue unveiling?
Prince Harry may have put "pressure" on Prince William to keep Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge away from the unveiling of Princess Diana's statue, a royal expert suggested.
Prince Harry and Prince William cut a rather lonely figure at the unveiling ceremony for the Princess Diana statue inaugurated at Kensington Palace on Thursday. The royal brothers were the only members of the Royal Family in attendance, with Diana's three siblings being the only relatives of the late Princess of Wales invited to the event. Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge was originally expected to stand by her husband's side for the unveiling but she ultimately was a no-show, sparking speculation about the decision to exclude the senior royal.
Speaking to Mail+, royal commentator Richard Eden said: "I thought that was really fascinating.
"I do think it was pressure from Prince Harry. I think it would've drawn attention to the absence of Meghan and would've then led to more questions.
"And they wanted that symmetry of just having the sons and no one else. It's so sad. Remember, before he met Meghan, Kate would've been there on every occasion.
"There would've even the joking, the larking around and there wasn't any of that."
Author Robert Lacey however offered an alternative reason behind the decision to keep the Princess Diana statue unveiling open to just the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.
Mr Lacey said: "That's an interesting question.
"But does it represent pressure from Prince Harry or does it represent thought on William's part not to overload the balance?
"Since Meghan wasn't going to be there, was it Harry whop said, 'I don't want Catherine there,' or was it William who thoughtfully said, 'well, we'll do it as a couple of brothers'."
Meghan Markle was also expected to make her way back to the United Kingdom to be at the ceremony but the birth of her and Prince Harry's daughter, Lilibet Diana, in early June put the plans on the shelf.
The Duke of Sussex returned to the UK for the second time in two months five days before the unveiling to undergo quarantine at Frogmore Cottage.
The Queen is believed to have met with her grandson upon his return to his Windsor home, the second time Her Majesty has seen him in person in over 18 months.
Prince Harry last came home to attend the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip in April.
While the Duke of Sussex was expected to use his latest visit to speak with Prince William about their tense relationship, Harry was later reported to have returned to California shortly after the Kensington Palace ceremony.
Prince Harry was spotted at Los Angeles airport earlier on Saturday, wearing a grey baseball cap, white shirt, and a black face covering.
He had a small weekend bag slung over his back as he approached a white Chevrolet.
The Duke had flown back to the UK to attend the unveiling of a statue to commemorate his late mother, Princess Diana.
