Prince William And Harry Put Feud Aside To Unveil Statue Of Diana

Jul 01, 2021 by apost team

Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's abrupt departure as senior working members of the Royal Family in March 2020, Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021 was the first time that Harry and his family have reunited. Now that the brothers are reuniting again for Princess Diana's statue unveiling on July 1, many royal fans are anticipating the brothers to put their 'royal rift' behind them. 

The already tense relationship between Harry, Prince William and the rest of the family ignited further after Harry and Markle sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a controversial interview in March. During the television special, the couple openly criticized the royal family and its culture. 

While the royal family released a comment following the interview, there have been continued reports of a rift between Harry and the rest, especially his brother Prince William. The currently fraught relationship between the brothers has reportedly thawed a little after the funeral service for their grandfather, the late Prince Philip, when they were seen chatting together. News outlets also report that Kate Middleton may have helped to calm the rift.

With Princess Diana's statue unveiling, many fans were curious if the brotherly tension would cause issues, or fall to the side during the event. The brothers have reportedly been texting about England's win in the soccer game on Tuesday, and many royal experts expect nothing but professionalism from the brothers at the unveiling. That doesn't mean, however, that observers weren't also looking for clues about how much tension there currently still is between the brothers.

Nearly 25 years after Princess Diana's funeral, Prince William and Harry have come together to pay tribute to their mother in a final completion of a project that started back in 2017. There have currently been tensions between Prince Harry and Meghan and the rest of the royal family due to their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, followed by their role in the Apple+ Docuseries "The Me You Can't See." 

The official unveiling of the statue was Harry's first time seeing his family since Prince Philip's funeral in mid-April. An official "Sussex source" revealed to Harper's Bazaar that Meghan Markle won't be joining her husband for the event and will focus on caring for the couple's infant daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor at their Montecito home instead.

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The Mirror had initially reported that Kate will help her husband Prince William and his brother Harry put on a united front for the occasion. However, new reports show that Kate has been removed from the guestlist for the unveiling. The Sun reported that this means that Harry and William will be meeting without a "peacemaker" around them.  

Metro UK also reported that Harry also does not have plans to meet his brother or his father when he arrives in the UK. Harry was expected to be in quarantine for five days, and Charles is already on a trip to Scotland now that Harry has finished quarantine. 

Harry and William have only been communicating by text amid a bitter fallout. The historic win by England on Tuesday against Germany might be inadvertently helping the brothers overcome their difficulties. The first win against Germany in a knock-out world cup game in 55 years has sparked the pair texting each other about soccer, according to The Daily Mail. 

However, it's not all sunshine and roses yet. A source told the Sun, "There have not been any personal chats or proper talks, just a very brief and minimal exchange of text messages. The relationship is still very much strained and there's no sign yet that there will be any sort of coming together any time soon." 

A different source told The Sun, "The relationship is still very much strained and there's no sign yet that there will be any sort of coming together any time soon. The boys will walk out together out of respect for their mum." 

Reuters reported that royal commentator Penny Juror said about the reunion, "I think it's going be very awkward. They will put on a show because the cameras will be there, but neither of them is very good at hiding their emotions."

Vanity Fair reported that a source said the brothers have agreed to call a temporary truce for the day, adding, "What you will see is a carefully choreographed show of unity for that day, at least."

However, other members of the royal family may try to heal the inflamed rift between the brothers in their own way. Queen Elizabeth has already extended an "olive branch" to Harry and Meghan and has invited them to her Platinum Jubilee. 

Photos captured by BBC reporters showed both brothers uniting in front of the yet veiled statue in seeming harmony. The official statue of Diana, Princess of Wales is located at the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, a spot that is said to have been her favorite on the grounds. The Sunken Garden took on even more meaning later on in Nov. 2017 when Prince Harry announced his engagement to Meghan Markle there. 

The British sculptor behind the statue of Diana is Ian Rank-Broadley, who is acclaimed for his work, including designs that he's produced for British coinage. His work features in prestigious permanent collections of the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in London, as well as St Paul's Cathedral, which is where Diana and Prince Charles were married in July 1981.

Do you think Diana's statue unveiling will solve the rift between the two brothers or just constitute a small break? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to other royal fans you know.