The public appearance by Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, alongside Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, outside Windsor Castle after the death of Queen Elizabeth II was a “surprising show of unity” that masked simmering tensions, a royal author writes.
In his book Our King, veteran royal correspondent Robert Jobson says the joint walkabout — which took place in the days after the queen’s death on Sept. 8, 2022 — had been William’s initiative but proved painful for the Princess of Wales. Jobson quotes a royal source saying, “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 drew widespread attention because it came nearly two years after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from senior royal duties and roughly a year after their televised interview with Oprah Winfrey. During the Windsor appearance the four royals inspected floral tributes and greeted well-wishers; the Duchess of Sussex was later seen wiping away a tear while waiting outside Westminster Abbey during the queen’s funeral on Sept. 19, 2022.
Harry and Meghan remained in the U.K. for almost three weeks around the funeral. The duchess has since spoken about the strain of being separated from their children, telling fashion designer and Queer Eye host Tan France on the second season of With Love, Meghan that “the longest I went without being around our kids was almost three weeks. I was not well.” In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry described the period around the queen’s death and funeral as a difficult time and said the separation from his children was longer than they had ever experienced.
The walkabout, Jobson writes, was therefore both a public display of unity and an emotionally difficult act for those involved. The book frames the moment as emblematic of the broader complexities within the royal family following the Sussexes’ departure from frontline duties.
Since then, media reports have tracked tentative steps toward repair. After a so-called “peace summit” in July — reported to have involved communications officials for the Sussexes and the palace — some outlets said lines of communication had opened. A U.S. source quoted by The Mirror said there was a “determination on both sides to make this happen,” adding that “nobody is pretending the wider family issues have been resolved, but this is about beginning with Charles and Harry.”
Those reports said King Charles III and Prince Harry were expected to meet in London on Sept. 8 for the third anniversary of the late queen’s death, when the duke also planned to attend the WellChild Awards, a charity he supports. The Mirror quoted sources saying the anticipated encounter would likely be a private, face-to-face conversation focused on “privacy and dignity” rather than a public reconciliation or a set-piece event.
Media accounts also conveyed limits to any rapprochement. According to The Mirror, reconciliation between Prince Harry and Prince William has been “rejected out of hand” by parties close to the situation. One source was quoted as saying Prince William felt his brother had “repeatedly chosen public exposure over private resolution,” and that there remained an “issue of trust” and concern about keeping family matters out of the headlines.
The reports noted broader context including the last time the king had seen some grandchildren, during the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, and political and security issues surrounding visits by the Sussexes — including Harry’s unsuccessful appeal against a downgrade of his security protection in the U.K. The Mirror sources also referenced the king’s ongoing cancer treatment in explaining why the timing for a private meeting between father and son might be viewed as appropriate by some aides.
Public-facing moments such as the Windsor walkabout and the funeral processions have continued to invite scrutiny as the family balances ceremonial duties with private disputes. Authors, memoirs and televised interviews have added layers of testimony and perspective, while palace officials and aides manage messaging and logistics around any contact between senior royals. Observers say those small, carefully managed interactions are likely to remain the primary mechanism for rapprochement until the parties involved resolve issues of trust and privacy.