William 'wanted to reconcile with Harry' on his own, not under King Charles' orders

Prince William and Prince Harry recently attended a funeral together, but despite their close physical proximity, the emotional distance between them remained evident.

Last month, the brothers arrived at St Mary's Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, to bid a final farewell to their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes. 

Royal observers had hoped that this moment of shared family grief might bridge the rift between them, but that was not the case, reported Mirror.

The relationship between William and Harry has reportedly been strained for several years, and this funeral marked the first time they had been in the same room together in 2023.

This frosty encounter brings to mind the days following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, when William and Harry briefly set aside their differences. 

The two brothers, along with their wives, Princess Kate and Meghan Markle, came together for a surprise joint walkabout, impressing onlookers with what appeared to be a temporary truce. It was during this period of mourning that William reportedly extended an 'olive branch' to his younger brother.

At the time, various theories circulated about the impromptu walkabout. However, it was later revealed that Prince William had sent Harry a last-minute text inviting him and Meghan to join him and Kate on the Long Walk in Windsor. 

This reunion marked the first public appearance of the two couples—previously known as the 'Fab Four'—since the Sussexes stepped back from their royal roles and moved to the U.S.

According to a source from the Daily Mail, William had been scheduled to meet the well-wishers and view floral tributes, but decided at the last minute to invite Harry and Meghan to join them.

A well-placed source told the paper at the time: "It happened very quickly – remarkable really considering they didn't see each other in Scotland." The paper reported that it was the Prince of Wales' decision to send his younger brother the olive branch of joining him for the walkabout, and it was 'absolutely not the case' this was done on the direction of their dad, the new king, as was previously thought.

It is thought the Prince of Wales had already mentioned the idea of viewing the flowers and greeting well wishers with Harry before reaching out to his younger sibling via text - something that was said to have been acknowledged by the Duke of Sussex. William felt that a show of unity was key during a period of national mourning out of respect for their grandmother. 

The walkabout was originally scheduled for 4.30pm but was reportedly pushed back by 45 minutes as William and Harry discussed their plans.

Two years on and the feud shows no sign of thawing. There was reportedly no communication between William and Harry at the recent funeral of Lord Fellowes, with a source telling The Sun that although the princes 'were only five yards from each other', they were seated on opposite sides of St Mary's Church, and didn't appear to converse after the service.

The source shared : "They were sat two or three rows back from the front, not at the back, but they were on opposite sides of the aisle. And then there were family members on the rest of the seats between them, so maybe that is something that was arranged."

They continued: "A lot of people were taking the chance to speak to them. They were only about five yards from each other, it was virtually back to back. When we left the reception they were both still there, but as we were on a walk we saw Harry driven off in a black Range Rover."