Prince William and Prince Harry Will Reportedly Walk "Shoulder-to-Shoulder" at Prince Philip's Funeral

Prince William and Prince Harry are reportedly going to walk "shoulder-to-shoulder" behind Prince Philip's coffin at his funeral on April 17.

  • Next week, when the royal family comes together in Windsor for Prince Philip's funeral, Prince William and Prince Harry will reunite in person for the first time since March 2020, when Harry was last in the United Kingdom.
  • According to a report from the Daily Mail, "the brothers are expected to stand shoulder to shoulder as they form part of the royal procession at the service."
  • Tensions have been especially high between the brothers since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, sat down for their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, but the Daily Mail reports that some royal insiders hope this reunion will lead to a reconciliation between them.

Prince William and Prince Harry are headed for a reunion.

The brothers will see each other face-to-face for the first time in more than a year when Harry returns to the United Kingdom for Prince Philip's funeral. "The brothers are expected to stand shoulder to shoulder as they form part of the royal procession at the service for the Duke of Edinburgh in Windsor on Saturday," the Daily Mail reports.

The reunion is widely seen as a chance for Harry and William to mend their relationship, which has reportedly been even more strained since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, sat down for a 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they opened up about several struggles they faced in the lead-up to their royal exit last spring.

During the interview, Harry said that his older brother was "trapped" in the royal family.

"It's been really hard," Harry said. "I am part of the system with them, I always have been, but I guess—and I'm very aware of this—my brother can't leave that system, but I have."

When Oprah asked if William also wanted to leave his royal duties, Harry said, "I don't know. I can't speak for him."

"With that relationship and that control and the fear by the U.K. tabloids, it's a toxic environment. But I will always be there for him, and I will always be there for my family. I've tried to help them to see what has happened," Harry continued, also adding, "I was trapped, but I didn't know I was trapped. Trapped within the system like the rest of the family. My father and my brother are trapped. They don't get to leave, and I have huge compassion for that."

A source close to the royals told the Mail on Sunday that tensions have been "high" since the Sussexes' tell-all, but that the royal family are nonetheless "united in grief" following Philip's death.

While Harry and William are expected to put on a good face and united front in public, regardless of how their private conversations go, the Daily Mail says "some royal sources hope that the brothers' first meeting for more than a year could lead to some kind of reconciliation."

RELATED STORIES
Weekend Editor at Cosmopolitan

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.