HARRY and William “still have a way to go” to heal their rift – despite putting on a good show yesterday, a royal biographer says.
The brothers met for the first time since their grandfather’s funeral on Thursday as they unveiled a statue of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace.
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And they put on a united front for the occasion, appearing in great spirits as they laughed and joked with their late mother’s relatives.
But Penny Junor, who has written biographies of both brothers, said she believes the rift still remains.
It comes as:
- Harry drank bubbly with Wills – but left just 20 minutes after the statue was unveiled
- The brothers appeared to bury their feud as they spoke about the ‘amazing’ artwork
- The Duke of Sussex appeared to be ‘battling inner tension’ – and one sign gave it away, a body language expert says
- The Queen beamed on a royal visit with daughter Anne while her grandsons met in London
- Harry charmed poorly children during a surprise appearance at a charity engagement
She told The Times: “My guess is there’s quite a way to go but it’s encouraging to see the two of them together and with smiles on their faces.
“I think that is progress.
“The brothers put on a very, very good show.
“I was expecting to see some sort of tight lips and some jaw muscles, which we saw at the Commonwealth service in Westminster Abbey before Harry and Meghan left.”
Harry and William, both dressed in navy blue, mirrored each other’s body language as they walked through the Sunken Garden during the ceremony.
The Duke of Sussex appeared particularly delighted to be in London, and kissed Diana’s sisters warmly as he arrived.
Ms Junor said: “They seemed to be reasonably relaxed with one another.
“They weren’t arms around each other, it wasn’t very touchy and there wasn’t, perhaps, the usual banter of times gone by.
“But had you not known there was a serious problem between the two of them, you wouldn’t necessarily have picked it up.”
The brothers didn’t give a speech during the service – although they did issue a joint statement.
They said: “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.”
The Celeb Reportken Garden was one of Diana’s favourite places, and her sons played together there as children.
The princes have been working together on the statue project since 2017.
It was unveiled on what would have been her 60th birthday.
Royal expert Phil Dampier told the Express: “The body language between William and Harry was pretty much what I’d been expecting – with both temporarily halting their feud to pay tribute to their mother.
“Harry seemed to be doing all the talking, either out of nerves or a desire to prove he is now very much his own man.
“There was a glimpse of how the pair used to be as they traded jokes and joshing, laughing as they jointly pulled the strings to reveal the statue.”
