In the three years since Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, tensions between the Sussexes and the royal family have only deepened, especially with Harry’s revealing memoir and his notable security dispute.

However, after their grandmother’s death, Princes William and Harry showed solidarity by greeting mourners at Windsor Castle with their wives.

This scene reminded many of a similar moment nearly twenty-five years earlier when William and Harry, at the ages of 15 and 12, walked among the mourning crowds at Kensington Palace after the untimely death of their mother, Princess Diana.

Once again, they walked out together at a time of national mourning to talk with the people.

But this time it was in entirely different circumstances.

Now, both grown and married, they walked with their wives by their sides, although they remain estranged following the Sussexes’ dramatic exit from royal duties in January 2020.

The awkwardness of the encounter was so great that Princess Kate found it ‘one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do’, according to a book.

Furthermore, an awkward moment arose when Meghan seemingly overlooked royal protocol that dictates senior royals, such as William and Kate, should lead junior members.

Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: ‘The tone was set the minute Kate’s car pulled up alongside William’s. 

‘It appeared the brothers had shared one car and their wives the other. 

‘If this was intended as an ice-breaker for the two women, it appeared not to have worked as Kate jumped quickly from the car to walk across to stand with her husband without waiting for Meghan or even throwing her a backwards glance.

‘It was left to William to chat to Harry and to usher Meghan to join them in their group.’

Footage from the occasion seems to show Harry having to pull his wife back with his arm and slow down his walking pace so that she didn’t pull ahead of his older brother.

Despite not having spoken in months, Harry was aware that the eyes of the world were watching his and Meghan’s every move at that crucial moment.

As they turned past the gate of Windsor Castle, he appeared to strategically slow down his walk while subtly using his hand to guide her back into place.

As the body language expert pointed out, when the Queen was alive, Kate’s role seemed to be one of mediator.

At Prince Philip’s funeral, she was famously seen herding the brothers together as the family walked up the hill after the service.

Judi said: ‘Once the Queen died and Kate’s own status and role in the Firm had been elevated, her body language during this public outing seemed to suggest she would be making her own decisions now, dealing with Harry and Meghan with a silently cool and unflinching firmness that the late Queen might just have admired.

‘While William, Harry and Meghan’s body language rituals at this surprise joint appearance showed signs of dithering, awkwardness and redirection, Kate is seen striding out by herself with her chin raised in a gesture of strong resolve. 

‘She not only separates herself from the group here in an act of what looks suspiciously like disassociation bordering on public rejection, but she separates herself from her husband, who is now the one left having to act in the role of mediator.’

She added: ‘As the four royals set off to see the tributes and greet the crowds, the spatial gap that Kate creates between herself and others forms an emphatic non-verbal tell of a lack of any desire to step out on stage for yet another performance of fake unity.

‘She could have walked to William’s left to smile and chat, but she chose to separate here rather than play small-talk next to the Sussexes. 

‘It is a decisive gesture with no apparent suggestion of choreographic dithering.’

‘As Kate strides away, it is William hanging back and turning his head to engage Harry and Meghan in some form of conversation,’ said Judi.

‘Visually, he looks like a man who is acting as the buffer here between the Sussexes and his wife or maybe even the public at this stage.

‘The brothers chat, but their constant self-checking, auto-contact rituals, where their hands touch their clothing and waistbands, flag up inner anxiety. 

‘Even Meghan is seen performing three very exaggerated self-preen gestures with her hair.

‘William uses an announcement gesture to show Kate they should start with the flowers on their left, and Kate wheels round in a way that places her next to her husband and ahead of Harry and Meghan, as protocol would suggest.

‘We can see Harry not only aware of protocol here but, possibly more importantly, reading and recognising the distancing signals from his sister-in-law.

‘Harry and Kate used to be very close, and the way he dips his head and wipes at his nose with one hand suggests he is completely tuned into her decisive non-verbal announcement here and possibly piqued or upset by it.

‘Despite the solemn mood, though, Harry can’t resist turning to wave and grin at the crowds, and maybe this small act of showboating encourages Meghan, who appears to be keen to move closer to William and Kate. 

‘Harry has moved to his wife’s left side to hold her back while the others take precedence, but Meghan does look determined to join up.

‘Although she was clutching Harry’s hand during the walk, she has now dropped it to edge away from him and towards the Waless, and it’s here that Harry appears to perform a non-verbal ‘checking’ gesture to remind her to wait rather than getting ahead. 

‘He reaches his arm out to place a hand on Meghan’s upper arm, but the gesture itself seems to be partly ignored by Meghan, who still appears to be edging towards William to close the gap and maybe engage in some empathetic conversation.

‘Meghan’s expectations here might be that shared grief will create bonding, or even, at the very least, a public performance of bonding despite all the incidents and verbal attacks that have turned a fissure into a chasm in terms of their rift.

‘She might have previously seen Kate willing to play ball socially in public, like their “pretend” friendly chat on the walk to church on Christmas day, but this is a Kate seemingly showing her mettle at last, with signals of firmness and determination that might have surprised her own husband as well as her sister-in-law.’

Most recently, the Daily Mail reported that Harry is set to meet with Charles for the first time in 20 months but William has reportedly rejected the invitation ‘out of hand’.

Reconciliation is ‘within reach’ between the Duke of Sussex and his father following an informal peace summit involving Buckingham Palace officials.

Harry is expected in London on September 8 for the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, where he will also attend the WellChild Awards, a charity event he has avidly supported.

A US source told The Mirror there was now a ‘determination on both sides to make this happen’.

The source added: ‘Nobody is pretending the wider family issues have been resolved, but this is about beginning with Charles and Harry.

‘For the first time in a long time, there’s a genuine sense that reconciliation is within reach.

‘Harry’s team and the Palace have opened a line of communication, and there is every hope that father and son will see one another when the Duke returns to London.’

The source said there was a ‘feeling the time is right’ following 20 months apart, and as the King continues his cancer treatment.

It is expected the encounter will be a ‘simple face-to-face conversation between a father and a son’ rather than a ‘grand gesture or set-piece meeting’.

‘Privacy and dignity’ have also been highlighted as priorities.

In the midst of the planned meeting, it is understood that Meghan will remain in California with the couple’s two children, Archie and Lilibet.

The last time the King saw his grandchildren was June 2022, when Harry and Meghan returned for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Duke of Sussex’s trip on September 8 will mark his first visit since he failed to appeal the downgrading of his security protection in the UK.

Last month, Harry and Meghan’s new chief of communications, Meredith Maines, met with Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL), a three-minute walk from Clarence House, the monarch’s London residence.

It was not known whether it had been Charles or Harry who extended the olive branch, but insiders said the summit was the strongest sign yet of the determination on both sides to resolve the bitter House of Windsor feud.

As the anniversary of the Queen’s death approaches, it is likely Charles will be reflecting on his relationship with his sons. 

Many observers hope that the upcoming visit will mark a step towards reconciliation between the Sussexes and the Firm. 

In the meantime, the memory of this notoriously awkward walkabout is likely difficult to forget.