Prince Harry walking side by side with his brother for the Queen’s lying-in-state procession was a ‘significant moment of healing’, a royal expert has said.
The brothers have a well documented troubled relationship but dutifully followed their father King Charles behind their grandmother’s casket from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
Richard Fitzwilliams told Metro.co.uk the scene symbolically echoed the day they walked behind their mother’s coffin in 1997.
The royal expert believes it could bring back awful memories for the princes but coming together following the Queen’s death shows they are ‘unified in mourning.’
He said: ‘Reconciliation has to start somewhere for the brothers, and at this deeply emotional time it is incredibly symbolic they stood closely together behind the Queen’s coffin.
‘We saw at Windsor Castle at the weekend the body language between all four of them was quite distant, but I think on such an occasion like today they will be closer together.
‘It is not just about today, but it is also about what happens in the coming weeks and months.
‘It is all down to trust, and the trust is being re-built between the brothers step by step and will take time to resolve.’
He added: ‘It will be a significant moment of healing in their relationship.
‘We know how it deeply affected Harry having to stand behind his mother’s coffin, and for them to both decide to do the same for their grandmother is a monumental step in the direction of their relationship.
‘Reconciliation has to start somewhere and where better than an occasion like this.’
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The Queen’s casket made it to the Palace of Westminster this afternoon, where she will lie-in-state for four days before her funeral on Monday.
It is only the third time over the last two years that the brothers have made public appearances together.
Harry and William, along with their wives, Meghan and Kate, met well-wishers outside Windsor Castle at the weekend.
They took flowers from mourners and laid them down before the gates to the Queen’s beloved home.
Mr Fitzwilliams said if the brothers had not decided to put their differences aside for the sake of their grandmother it could have caused a lot of pain for the new King.
He added: ‘It could have caused a lot of hurt to King Charles if his sons weren’t behind their grandmother.
‘He wants all of the family to be together for the occasion, and will want them to be unified in mourning.’
Speaking about how William and Harry’s relationship with the media, he said: ‘We don’t know what happens away from the media, and that is as important if not more important than what happens in the public eye.
‘We must hope the brothers walking behind the coffin will remind the world of what happened in 1997 but hopefully unlike what followed then, this will be a step along a road that will be positive.
‘What the world sees is one thing, but what goes on behind the scenes is another thing.’
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