Prince William and Prince Harry recently attended a funeral together – but even in such close proximity, the distance between them proved vast.

Last month, the two princes arrived at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, to say their final fond farewells to their uncle, the courtier Lord Robert Fellowes.

Royal watchers had wondered whether or not this shared moment of family grief could see the brothers put aside their differences. But alas, it was not to be. William and Harry’s sibling relationship is understood to have been strained for some years now, and this marked the first time the pair have been in the same room together this year.

This frosty encounter will likely put people in mind of the poignant days that followed the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. Joined in duty and in love for their late grandmother, William and Harry amazed fans with a ‘temporary ceasefire’, joining wives Princess Kate and Meghan Markle for a very special walkabout. And it was during this emotional period of mourning that William reportedly offered his younger brother an ‘olive branch’.

As members of the public came out in droves to pay their respects to the long-reigning monarch, the two couples joined forces to view floral tributes and meet well-wishers. It was a sight some thought they’d never see again following Meghan and Harry’s shock move to the US and subsequent bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

While many theories about the surprise walkabout were circulated at the time, it soon emerged that Prince William had sent a final-hour text to Prince Harry inviting him and Meghan to join him and Kate on the Long Walk in Windsor. It marked the first time that the two couples – who were previously known as the ‘Fab Four’ – were reunited publicly since the Sussexes stepped back from their roles as senior royals and relocated to the US.

During the 40 minute walkabout, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with Harry and Meghan, were filmed shaking hands with people who had gathered and accepted bunches of flowers and other gifts, such as Paddington Bear stuffed toys. Dressed all in black, both couples looked slightly nervous as they arrived together in one car before spending almost an hour chatting to waiting fans outside the grounds of the castle. William and Kate were due to meet well-wishers and look at the floral tributes before William sent a text offering Meghan and Harry a last-minute invitation to join them, a source told the Daily Mail.

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A well-placed source told the paper at the time: “It happened very quickly – remarkable really considering they didn’t see each other in Scotland.” The paper reported that it was the Prince of Wales’ decision to send his younger brother the olive branch of joining him for the walkabout, and it was ‘absolutely not the case’ this was done on the direction of their dad, the new king, as was previously thought.

A royal source was said to have confirmed that it was the Prince of Wales’ decision to send his younger brother the olive branch of joining him for the walkabout. And suggestions William made the move after hearing Harry was planning to undertake his own walkabout with a film crew were “complete b******s”, the paper was told.

It is thought the Prince of Wales had already mentioned the idea of viewing the flowers and greeting well wishers with Harry before reaching out to his younger sibling via text – something that was said to have been acknowledged by the Duke of Sussex. William felt that a show of unity was key during a period of national mourning out of respect for their grandmother. The walkabout was originally scheduled for 4.30pm but was reportedly pushed back by 45 minutes as William and Harry discussed their plans.

Two years on and the feud shows no sign of thawing. There was reportedly no communication between William and Harry at the recent funeral of Lord Fellowes, with a source telling The Sun that although the princes ‘were only five yards from each other’, they were seated on opposite sides of St Mary’s Church, and didn’t appear to converse after the service.

The source shared : “They were sat two or three rows back from the front, not at the back, but they were on opposite sides of the aisle. And then there were family members on the rest of the seats between them, so maybe that is something that was arranged.”

They continued: “A lot of people were taking the chance to speak to them. They were only about five yards from each other, it was virtually back to back. When we left the reception they were both still there, but as we were on a walk we saw Harry driven off in a black Range Rover.”