Prince William & Prince Harry Face Off At Family Funeral: How It Went

It’s been over a year since Prince William and Prince Harry were in the same room together, and two years since they’ve spoken to each other in earnest. 

That was when their beloved grandmother Queen Elizabeth died in 2022. 

Sadly, another death in the family forced these brothers together again. 

At first, it sounded as if Prince Harry’s still wasn’t ready to take the leap and confront William.

Rumor was that the young royal wanted to avoid “drama” for the sake of their mother’s family.

But then he turned up anyway. This is how it went.

Prince Harry Won’t Make UK Trip for Uncle’s Funeral To Face His Brother & Family

Earlier in the summer, Prince Harry and Prince Williams’ uncle Robert Fellowes passed away. 

Lord Fellowes was married to Diana’s sister, Lady Jane Fellowes, and served for a time as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary. He died of undisclosed causes on July 29 at the age 82.

Given Harry’s close ties with his aunt and cousin, who he reportedly had been in contact with since Robert’s passing, he was considering returning to the UK to attend his uncle’s funeral. 

After much hemming and hawing, he did in fact show up at the funeral.

Both Harry and William went to the service at St. Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, according to The Sun. 

A family friend said they were “very happy to confirm both princes were there,” per The Sun. They reportedly both sat in the back but did not sit near one another.

“William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance,” another attendee added, according to The Sun.

Why Harry Almost Didn’t Show

It was most people’s understanding that Harry was not going to make the trip.

According to initial reports, he told his family at the time, including his late mother Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, that he’d come only “if it doesn’t cause too much drama”.

According to a pal of Harry’s, it was always unlikely that his brother Prince William and/or his father, King Charles, wouldn’t attend the service. Harry has not seen his father since his impromptu visit after Charles announced his cancer diagnosis. 

He has not seen his brother since Charles’ coronation. 

There have been no reports of Charles making an appearance, but William reportedly came and sat in the back of the church, hoping to stay out of sight.

Why All The Drama?

“In normal times it would be unimaginable that Harry would not be there to support Jane. Of course he would want to be there. It will be a huge gathering of the Spencer clan,” Harry’s friend told the Daily Beast.

“But these are not normal times and it may well be that everyone feels Harry’s attendance would just create too much drama. It will be very sad for him if he can’t make it.”

In the end, reports claimed that Prince Harry decided against the trip for “security concerns”. Indeed, shortly before the news broke, his Chief of Staff quit and Harry himself made it clear he felt it was too unsafe for his family to travel to his homeland.

Remember: After quitting royal life in 2020 and moving to the US, the Sussexes were stripped of taxpayer-funded security in the UK, meaning they must now pay out of pocket for police protection.

Confronting His Brother & Father: The “Impact” on his Family Relationships

It’s a shame things did not work out, as having a face-to-face encounter with his estranged brother, Prince William, has reportedly been on Harry’s to-do list ever since Kate Middleton’s own cancer diagnosis was revealed. 

Then again, unfortunately for him, William isn’t ready for bygones to be bygones. 

For that reason, even if father and both his sons were to attend the funeral, it wouldn’t have much of an “impact” on their broken relationship. 

“Robert Fellowes’ death will not affect family dynamics,” royal commentator Michael Cole told the Daily Mail. “Prince William and Prince Harry have always been on good terms with their late mother’s sisters and brother.”

“Aside from extending their sincere condolences to their aunt Jane, the death of their uncle will likely have minimal impact on the two royal princes.”

Meghan Markle Did Not Join Harry In The U.K.

What made the situation less awkward is the fact that Prince Harry’s wife did not join him in the UK for the funeral. 

For one thing, she has their two children, Archie and Lilibet to look after. For another, she is currently busy trying to get a lifestyle brand and cooking show off the ground. 

But perhaps more significantly, Prince Harry still does not feel that his family would be safe if they accompanied him across the pond. 

Harry is still at war with the British tabloids and the lies he claims they write about his wife continuously. This was part of the reason he left his royal duties to begin with, and he’s not eager to give them more ammunition. 

“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read,” Harry said on ITV’s documentary “Tabloids on Trial,” referring to what he views as incendiary tabloid reporting on his wife.

And What About Kate Middleton?

There have been conflicting reports about Kate’s relationship with Prince Harry over the past year.

Some have suggested that both Harry and Meghan have extended olive branches while she’s been battling cancer to mend their fractured relationships. Some reports have even gone so far as to suggest that Prince Harry feels losing Kate’s friendship has been his greatest loss since Princess Diana. 

Then again, ever since both Kate and his father King Charles have been diagnosed with cancer, Harry has not been back to the UK, save for that first meeting with Charles. 

While it’s true that he’s reportedly been shunned by his father and Kate, some would argue that he needs to put more work into repairing their relationship, since he was the one to cross the line of airing their family secrets in his memoir and Netflix documentary.