Prince William and Prince Harry were separated by their cousin, Peter Phillips, during the funeral of their grandfather, Prince Philip, on Saturday — a move, which had been personally requested by the Duke of Cambridge himself.
The feud between the royal brothers appeared only to deepen following the shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey in March when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made accusations against the royal family — including racism.
And Meghan Markle made the mistake of shaming Kate Middleton, who she claimed made her cry days before her big royal wedding to Prince Harry.
And while Prince William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, spoke after the funeral service, they did not walk shoulder to shoulder as once would have been expected.
Instead, they were separated by their cousin, Peter Philips — the son of Princess Anne — who walked between them as they followed the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin inside St. George’s Chapel.
Prince William stepped ahead of Prince Harry once inside the chapel, where the scaled-back funeral took place with just 30 members of the royal family.
Other senior royals — including Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex — did not acknowledge Prince Harry, who stepped down from being a senior working royal last year, reports say.
A source has said that many in the royal family feel a “deep sense of protection” towards the Queen and hold resentment towards the Duke of Sussex after the high-profile Oprah interview.
While the family donned a “united front” for the sake of the monarch during her late husband’s funeral, they believe Prince Harry has acted “appallingly,” the source said.
The royal insider explained: “There is little sympathy for him after what he and Meghan said on Oprah … They are still very upset.”
Royal expert Amanda Platell said it will take many years for Prince William to forgive his brother because he and his wife committed an unpardonable sin by talking about Kate Middleton.
Platell explained: “He knew he was breaking that bond with his brother, yet he did it anyway. For, as Harry said in that interview, it was his new family – not the Royal Family – that now came first. Perhaps even more unforgivable is that Harry allowed his wife to traduce his sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, on more than one occasion.”
She went on to share: “Those of us who have come to love and admire our future queen were furious. Imagine how betrayed her husband must have felt! Harry had committed an unpardonable sin allowing Kate to be attacked. For, make no mistake, there is seldom any forgiveness between brothers when the sisters-in-law fall out.”
Another source close to Prince Harry has said that during the funeral, he was “doing what he’s told” and “getting on with it.”
However, some people are hopeful that one day Prince William will forgive his brother and sister-in-law.
Some aides of the royal family are said to have been “visibly relieved” when William and Harry spoke after the funeral service, joined by the Duchess of Cambridge, who has been reported to be a “peacemaker” in the ongoing rift.
Peace in the royal family has been put on pause because; late Tuesday, Prince Harry was seen arriving in the US to be with his pregnant wife and son.
Prince Harry’s decision to leave the UK means that he will not be present for Queen Elizabeth II’s 95th birthday tomorrow.
