A joint walkabout by senior royals outside Windsor Castle after the death of Queen Elizabeth II was an "illusion" of family unity and "one of the hardest things" the Princess of Wales has ever done, royal author Robert Jobson writes in his new book.
In Our King, Jobson says the appearance — in which Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they greeted well-wishers and inspected floral tributes — was arranged at William's instigation but masked "ill feeling" between the two couples. Jobson wrote that "Catherine later admitted to a senior royal that, such was the ill feeling between the two couples, the joint walkabout was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do."
The walkabout took place in the days after the queen's death in September 2022, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to the U.K. and remained in the country for nearly three weeks ahead of the state funeral on Sept. 19. Meghan Markle was seen wiping a tear while waiting outside Westminster Abbey during the funeral proceedings and later joined other family members in a procession behind the queen's coffin.
Both Harry and Meghan have since spoken publicly about that period. On the second season of the Netflix series With Love, Meghan said that the longest she was away from their children, Archie and Lilibet, was "almost three weeks" and that she was "not well" during that separation. In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry described the queen's death and funeral as a difficult time, noting that the period apart from his children was longer than any previous separation.
Attempts at reconciliation within the royal family have shown incremental movement since then. Media reports say a July meeting between aides from the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace — described by some outlets as a "peace summit" — helped reopen lines of communication. A U.S. source quoted by British media said there was "determination on both sides to make this happen" and that King Charles III is expected to meet his son when the duke returns to London on Sept. 8 for the third anniversary of the queen's death and to attend the WellChild Awards, a charity event he has supported.
Those close to the palace have emphasized that any encounter would likely be a private, face-to-face conversation between father and son rather than a public spectacle, with "privacy and dignity" prioritised. Reports also suggest the meeting is being framed as a first step aimed at Charles and Harry rather than a comprehensive family reconciliation.
Despite signs of thawing between the king and the duke, relations between Prince William and Prince Harry are widely reported to remain strained. Sources quoted in the media say William has been reluctant to engage in reconciliation that could lead to repeated public exposure, and that there are ongoing issues of trust. One source said William felt his brother had "repeatedly chosen public exposure over private resolution." Several reports also note the duke's legal challenges over security arrangements in the U.K. and the complex, public nature of the family's disagreements.
The walkabout and the family’s public appearances in 2022 remain a touchstone in accounts of postmonarchy transition and family dynamics. Jobson's account joins other memoirs and media reports that have mapped the sequence of events — from the Sussexes' decision to step back as working royals in 2020 and their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, through the 2022 period of mourning and public reunions, to more recent efforts to reopen dialogue.
As of early September 2025, the focus in London is expected to be on the possibility of a private meeting between King Charles and the Duke of Sussex and whether that encounter will ease tensions within the broader royal family. Observers say the outcome may hinge on the parties' ability to keep discussions private and to separate father-and-son contact from wider family disputes.