Prince Harry ‘didn’t see William at Balmoral on night of Queen’s death as he ate dinner apart from his brother and King Charles – before bombshell text brought feuding princes together to view flowers left at Windsor’
- Source suggested both royal camps required extended negotiations beforehand
- Insider claimed warring brothers ‘ate dinner separately’ on night the Queen died
- But they reunited in spectacular fashion after William’s ’11th-hour’ olive branch
- ‘Fab Four’ delighted royal fans by inspecting floral tributes at Windsor Castle
- Follow MailOnline’s liveblog today as more events take place following the Queen’s death, by clicking here
Royal sources claim Prince Harry ate dinner separately from Prince William and King Charles on the night the Queen died, just days before the feuding princes reunited in an historic show of unity at Windsor Castle.
William and Harry have a well-documented troubled relationship but the death of their grandmother saw the rivals shelve their differences when, with their wives, they viewed floral tributes left to the late Queen.
But one royal insider told the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay that the warring brothers did not see one another at all at Balmoral on the evening of the Queen’s death – making their show of unity outside the castle even more extraordinary.
Instead of joining his father, King Charles III and his older brother at Birkhall, Harry remained at Balmoral with the Queen’s other children; Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne.
‘Two dinners were being hosted on the royal estate that night and there was a clear divide: One was for the new king and his heir, the other was for the rest of the family,’ the source said.
On the historic evening the nation was plunged into grief as the Queen passed away, Harry had faced a race against time to be at his grandmother’s bedside before she passed.
The Duke had been due to speak at the Wellchild Awards in London that evening, but instead bolted north of the border as news of the monarch’s grave health became apparent.
With grief etched on his face, he finally arrived at Balmoral at 7.52pm, more than an hour after the Queen’s death was confirmed in a short, black-edged note from Buckingham Palace.
A royal source told the Telegraph that Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, felt ‘the focus should solely be on this period of deep mourning and nothing else. The focus should only be on his late grandmother’.
Royal sources say Prince William extended an ’11th-hour olive branch’ to his young brother Prince Harry by asking him to join him on (pictured) outside Windsor Castle to pay tribute to their beloved grandmother
On the historic evening the nation was plunged into grief as the Queen passed away, the Duke of Sussex had faced a race against time to be at his grandmother’s bedside before she passed
The joint royal walkout – which took many by complete surprise – was agreed after a 45-minute negotiation, according to a source
The ‘fab four’ reunited at Windsor to mourn the death of The Queen; it was the first time the couples have been together in public since March 2020
The first the brothers saw of each other came when they reunited after Prince William extended an ’11th-hour’ olive branch in the form of a text ahead of their carefully choreographed show of unity at Windsor Castle.
Harry swallowed his pride and even agreed to being driven by William as the princes put their differences aside in the name of their beloved matriarch.
Sources suggested the historic walk between William and Kate and Meghan and Harry only took place after an extended negotiation which delayed the Sussexes arrival by at least 45 minutes.
In a scene that clearly delighted royal fans, the royals inspected the sea of floral tributes laid outside the gates of Windsor in honour of the much-loved monarch.
The couples walked along separately from one another, with William and Kate speaking to people on one side of the road and Harry and Meghan speaking to people on the other side of the road.
The surprise appearance is thought to be the first time that the two couples have all been in public together since Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020.
And it is the first time William and Harry have been seen together in public since they joined for the opening of the memorial in honour of their mother, Princess Diana.
A senior Palace source said of the meeting: ‘The Prince of Wales invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join him and the Princess of Wales earlier.
‘[William] thought it was an important show of unity for the Queen at an incredibly difficult time for the family.’
It comes days after King Charles III extended a very public olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in his first address to Britain and the world as monarch.
The new monarch said he wished to ‘express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas’.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plunged the monarchy into crisis during the twilight years of the Queen’s reign after sensationally quitting frontline royal duties and moving to California two years ago – a saga which precipitated the rift between Harry and his brother William, allegations of racism against the royals and claims the Firm failed to help a suicidal Meghan.
After their bombshell interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Harry appeared to suggest, in a mental health podcast, that his father and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had all failed as parents – while the family was still mourning Prince Philip’s death last year.
It comes as the Duke of Sussex today paid an emotional tribute to his late grandmother the Queen as he praised her ‘sound advice’ and ‘infectious smile’ and called her a ‘guiding compass’ through her commitment to service and duty.
In a statement released today, which is understood to have been held back a day out of respect for the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Duke also said he wanted to honour his father at the start of his reign as King.
Harry also referred to his ‘darling wife’ Meghan Markle; said he was grateful that the Queen had hugged her ‘beloved great-grandchildren’; and spoke of how he ‘cherished’ the times spent with the 96-year-old.
He said: ‘In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen – and in mourning her loss – we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty.
‘She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy.
‘Let us echo the words she spoke after the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, words which can bring comfort to all of us now: ‘Life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings.”
The Duke of Sussex has paid an emotional tribute to his late grandmother the Queen as he thanked her for her ‘sound advice’
He added: ‘Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings-from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren.
‘I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over.
‘And as it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III. Thank you for your commitment to service. Thank you for your sound advice.
‘Thank you for your infectious smile. We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.’
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