Brothers reunited by their grief: Prince William and Harry walk side by side behind the Queen’s coffin in an echo of their mother Diana’s funeral 25 years ago
Prince William and Prince Harry walked together behind their father King Charles III in a show of unity today as they followed the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace ahead of her lying in state.
The presence of Charles, William and Harry in the procession through London this afternoon saw the father and sons united in their grief for a mother and grandmother who left the palace for the final time.
The Royal Family accompanied their matriarch on foot on the journey to Westminster Hall where hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects over the next four days after queueing for hours.
It comes four days after William and Harry put aside their differences for an unexpected united front with their respective wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle during a walkabout outside Windsor Castle on Saturday.
This afternoon, Charles, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex, along with the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex, formed part of the procession.
Prince William and Prince Harry march during a procession to transport the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in London today
Prince William and Prince Harry walk behind King Charles III and Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace this afternoon
Prince Harry walks behind the coffin of the Queen, pulled by a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery today
Prince William, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and Prince Harry during the procession from Buckingham Palace today
Prince William and Prince Harry walk behind King Charles III outside Buckingham Palace this afternoon
Anne’s son Peter Phillips and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence also walked behind the procession, as well as the Duke of Gloucester and the Earl of Snowdon.
The Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex travelled by car. The procession left the palace at 2.22pm and is expected to arrive at Westminster Hall at 3pm.
A service lasting around 20 minutes will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury accompanied by the Dean of Westminster.
William and Harry have a well-documented troubled relationship but the death of their grandmother saw them unexpectedly come together when they viewed floral tributes left to the late Queen at Windsor Castle.
William, Kate, Harry and Meghan arrived in the same vehicle and greeted well-wishers for around 40 minutes before William hopped into the driver’s seat of the Audi with his wife in the passenger seat, and his brother and sister-in-law in the back.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on Saturday
Meghan, Harry, William and Kate view floral tributes left at Windsor Castle on Saturday afternoon as royal fans watch on
Kate, William, Harry and Meghan on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on Saturday afternoon as they go on a walkabout
In his televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the King talked of his love for Harry and Meghan, saying: ‘I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.’
Then in Harry’s tribute to his grandmother he said he wanted to honour his father at the start of his reign as King.
The last time Charles and his two sons were all seen together in public was at the service of thanksgiving for the Queen in St Paul’s Cathedral during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
But on that occasion, Harry and Meghan were seated some distance from Charles and William on the other side of the aisle in the second row, behind the Wessex family and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The Jubilee service at St Paul’s was Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance alongside the Windsors since they stepped down as senior royals in 2020 amid the Megxit storm.
Two years have passed since William, Kate, Harry and Meghan were previously together side-by-side in public, during the Commonwealth Day church service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, 2020
After the Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March last year, the Queen said in a statement that ‘some recollections may vary’ but the Sussexes ‘will always be much-loved family members’
Prince Philip, William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Charles during Princess Diana’s funeral procession in September 1997
William, Harry and Charles look at Princess Diana’s hearse after it was placed into a hearse in London on September 6, 1997
Prince Philip, William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Charles during Princess Diana’s funeral procession in September 1997
In April 2021, Harry and William joined their father when they walked behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin at his funeral.
The brothers were separated by their cousin Peter Phillips but he dropped back half a pace at one point so the siblings appeared closer together.
After the funeral service, William and Harry could be seen chatting as they walked back up the hill from the chapel to the castle.
Mourners have already joined the queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state which begins at 5pm this afternoon, continuing until 6.30am on Monday September 19, the day of the Queen’s funeral.
Government guidance says the queue is expected to be very long, with people standing for ‘many hours, possibly overnight’ and with very little opportunity to sit down.
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