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WINDSOR (Reuters) – Prince Harry and his wife Meghan joined William and his wife Kate in a crowd rally near Windsor Castle on Saturday after the death of their grandmother Queen Elizabeth, raising the prospect of a rapprochement between the two brothers.
The two sons of King Charles, who were very close to the death of their mother Diana in a car accident in Paris in 1997, fell into the last years after Harry and Meghan gave up their royal titles to move to the United States.
The couple were in Britain for a short visit when the Queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died on Thursday.
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Like senior members of the royal family, Harry was quick to be by the Queen’s side when her condition deteriorated at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and a spokesman for the heir to the throne said William had offered an invitation to walk in Windsor.
A royal source described it as an important display of loneliness at a very difficult time for the family. They got out of the same car, all dressed in black.
The couple had little interaction during their 40-minute walk near one of the Queen’s favorite English homes, stopping to read letters left among the flowers, shaking hands and chatting with the thousands of people lining the Long Walk.
Raj Kaur, 41, who was in the crowd, said: “I think this kind of really draws an end to what has happened historically, and it’s a really strong sense of loneliness for the royal family. It was really nice to see.” .
Meghan once embraced a woman in the midst of the crowd while others stretched out to shake her hand and speak to the four royals in the early evening. William spent some time crouching chatting with the kids, while Kate and Harry kissed flowers and messages of encouragement from the crowd.
Britain’s William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walk outside Windsor Castle, after the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in Windsor, Britain, September 10, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nichols
Royal watchers were looking for signs of détente amid the pomp and ceremonies of a period of national mourning and a state funeral for Elizabeth. Read more
On Friday, Charles used his first address to the nation as king to express his “love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives abroad”.
William and his daughter-in-law Kate also bestowed the titles Prince and Princess of Wales, which he and his late wife Diana had previously held.
William was heard telling someone that the days after the Queen’s death were “very surreal”.
“We all thought she was invincible,” he said.
When asked by another person in the crowd how his children, George, 9, Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 4, who had all started at new school the day the Queen died – were adjusting, he replied: “The kids are fine, thank you. They’re good. Not ideal for starting new schools with everything going on.”
Under royal rules, a king’s grandchildren are automatically entitled to become princes or princesses in the kingdom, and now that Harry’s father Charles is king, his children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, can claim these titles. Lilibet was named after the Queen’s childhood nickname.
It is not clear if they will receive the titles.
“At the moment we are focused on the next 10 days. When we have information we will update the (royal) site,” a spokesman for Charles told reporters.
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Additional reporting by Kate Holton and Michael Holden in London, Peter Nichols and Hana Rantala in Windsor; Editing by Elizabeth Piper and Mark Potter
Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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