MEGHAN and Harry’s pal say “distance remains” between the Duke of Sussex and his older brother – despite their “genuine” smiles together last week.
Omid Scobie, who co-authored biography Finding Freedom, said Harry and William’s joy at the unveiling of a statue dedicated to Princess Diana was real.
Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest updates
But the brothers have a long way to go before healing the rift between them, he warned.
It comes as:
- Harry and Meghan’s trademark bid for Archewell has hit a stumbling block with US lawyers
- ITV cut a claim Prince William’s staff planted stories about Harry from a brothers-at-war doc amid fears it was ‘defamatory’
- Meghan ‘upset people early on’ and is ‘not as charming as she seems’, it’s claimed
- And a royal biographer has claimed William and Harry won’t make up – as The Duke of Sussex ‘can’t afford to upset his wife’
- A lawyer suspended over a ‘racist’ tweet about Lilibet Diana has been quietly reinstated
Speaking on his podcast The HeirPod, Mr Scobie said the princes had shared a “powerful” moment as they pulled a green covering away from the tribute.
“I can’t even imagine how powerful and maybe even overwhelming that moment must have been for them, especially in front of the cameras,” he said.
“I think what was so great about it was that, despite the huge amount of talk about the brothers’ relationship leading up to that point, in the moment itself, it didn’t really feel like it was about that at all.
“It sort of went out of the window for the moment.”
He said it would have been “impossible” for the brothers to be angry with one another during the poignant service.
“No matter how you feel about someone, or how strained a relationship might be, it’s impossible to still live in that when you’re sharing such a special moment,” he said.
“Those smiles that we saw on their faces were very genuine.
“I’m sure there was a huge amount of warmth between the brothers in that moment, simply by the act of what they were doing.”
But despite that, he said, tensions haven’t eased completely.
“Does that mean there were conversations and peace talks taking place on this trip?” he said.
“Absolutely not.
“That distance with the brothers remains there as Harry heads back to US and William gets on with his life over here, but… the moment we saw the brothers together was like the icebreaker that had not happened for over a year.
“What we saw was perhaps one tiny step forward, and time is always a healer.”
Harry and William appeared to be in great form as they met face-to-face for the first time since their grandfather’s funeral last week.
Both wore navy blue and even mirrored each other’s body language as they chatted in Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden.
The Duke of Sussex seemed to be particularly delighted to be home, and smiled brightly as he greeted Diana’s brother and two sisters at the ceremony.
After unveiling the statue, the brothers said in a joint statement: “Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.”
Their appearance together has raised hopes their disagreement may now be behind them.
Harry left soon after the service, and has now returned home to Meghan and their two children.
