Prince Harry and Prince William speak on the phone ahead of first face-to-face meeting in a year at Philip funeral
PRINCE Harry and William spoke on the phone ahead of their first face-to-face meeting in a year at Prince Philip’s funeral.
The brothers will be reunited at the ceremony at Windsor Castle on Saturday afternoon – with Kate Middleton expected to act as a peacemaker.
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Prince Philip passed away at Windsor Castle on Friday aged 99 – sparking an outpouring of grief.
The Duke of Sussex returned to the UK on Sunday and is staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor to quarantine for five days ahead of his grandad's funeral on Saturday.
Meghan Markle, 39, who is heavily pregnant, made “every effort” to travel but didn’t receive medical clearance from her physician, a Senior Palace Official and Buckingham Palace spokesman said.
It marks Harry’s first visit to the UK since he and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family and since their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the siblings spoke on the phone shortly after Harry’s arrival – but will not meet in person until the ceremony on Saturday.
A source told the newspaper that Kate Middleton "will be hoping to sooth tensions"at the event – and believes it "incredibly sad" that William and Harry are not on better terms.
The brothers' last face-to-face meeting was in March last year at the Commonwealth Day service – Prince Harry and Meghan’s Markle last royal engagement before Megxit.
The Duke of Sussex on Monday paid tribute to his "witty" grandfather Philip and remembered the duke as the "master of the barbecue and legend of banter".
Harry also thanked Philip for for being a "rock" to his grandmother the Queen – just minutes after his brother William also paid tribute.
Harry and Will have barely spoken since January 2020 when the Sussexes “blindsided” the Queen and announced Megxit on their Sussex Royal Instagram page.
During the Oprah interview, Prince Harry said his relationship with his brother was “space” and claimed his family were “trapped” by their royal duties.
But he added: “You know, as I've said before, I love William to bits. He's my brother.
"We've been through hell together. I mean, we have a shared experience. But, you know, we're on different paths.
"The relationship is space, at the moment. Time heals all things, hopefully."
During the Oprah chat, Meghan also claimed an unnamed royal had raised “concerns” about the skin colour of her and Harry’s children and alleged the Palace had denied her mental health support.
The Duke of Cambridge issued a candid response to the claims during a visit to a school in London last month, saying that the Royals were “very much not a racist family”.
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