William, Kate, Harry and Meghan gather to see floral tributes to the Queen
The Prince and Princess of Wales formed a united front with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they joined for a tour of Windsor Castle.
In the couple’s first engagement under their new titles, William and Kate were joined by Harry and Meghan for the first time since Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020.
They inspected flowers and balloons before a tour of the venue on Saturday.
A royal source said the Prince of Wales had asked his brother and wife to join them to see the tributes.
The source said: “The Prince of Wales has invited the Duke and Duchess to join him and the Prince of Wales earlier.”
The last time William was publicly joined by his brother at Windsor Castle was at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in April last year.
Both couples left in the same vehicle as the engagement, which lasted more than 40 minutes, came to an end.
All four were dressed in black as they passed through the castle gates.
At one point during the tour, Meghan was seen being hugged tightly by a young girl in the crowd.
The Duke and Duchess held hands as they viewed the tributes, with Harry once lovingly placing his hand on Meghan’s back.
Each member of the royal family pointed to various tributes and discussed them among themselves while members of the crowd waved at them.
William and Kate, along with Harry and Meghan, then greeted the well-wishers at Windsor Castle with a number holding up mobile phones to take a picture of the royals.
A crowd in the castle erupted in applause as the couples approached and spoke to the public.
William was seen speaking intensely to a member of the crowd and at one moment shook hands with a woman. Both William and Kate were seen thanking people.
Kate crouched down in a moment and began speaking to a child who had begun to cry.
The child stopped crying as Kate approached her.
Meghan was also spotted shaking hands with several children and well-wishers in Windsor.
She walked to part of the crowd and approached a teenager who was seen putting his hand to his mouth in shock.
The Duchess and her husband spoke briefly and Meghan was seen reassuring a young girl by putting her hand on her shoulder.
The girl then said, “Can I have a hug?” and Meghan was seen nodding before bending down and hugging her tightly.
The touching moment was filmed by other members in the crowd.
Harry and Meghan were presented with bouquets, which they both accepted.
William and Kate also received bouquets of flowers from members of the crowd as a visitor waved a Welsh flag in the background.
In a moment, William was given a small Paddington bear, which he passed on to an aide.
At one moment he was seen lightly touching Kate’s back as she crouched back down to speak to a child just outside.
The crowd could be heard chatting excitedly and taking photos as William and Kate and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stopped to speak to each person outside the barriers.
The royal couples walked separately, with William and Kate talking to people on one side of the street and Harry and Meghan talking to people across the street.
The brothers’ relationship famously fell apart – some feared beyond repair – in the wake of the Megxit saga and the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
But royal observers hoped Harry would be able to reunite with his family amid their shared grief and heartache at the loss of Elizabeth II.
These desires were reinforced when King Charles III. paid tribute to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex last night in his historic first address to the nation.
He said His Majesty wanted to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives abroad”.
A body language expert said the remark “resulted in a pause as he looked down with a cut-off eye in what appeared to be regret, and even emerged with what sounded like a small sigh.”
Mourners who flocked to the royal residences to pay their respects said the king’s mention of the Sussexes was “a nice touch” and could be seen as “shaking a hand” with the couple.
“That’s what the Queen would have wanted”
The momentous meeting between Prince William and his brother Harry was “amazing” to watch and it would be “wonderful” for the royal family if their rift could be healed, commentators said.
Royal expert Duncan Larcombe told Metro.co.uk yesterday the King’s address to the nation, in which he expressed his love for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, “sounded a lot like taking the ball into theirs.” lay yard”.
He said: “The Queen has always tried to play peacemaker and maintain a cold bond with Harry and Meghan, so it’s likely that Charles would want to follow in her footsteps and carry on in her honor.
“The Queen’s last wish would have been to ease tensions and reunite Harry and William.
“It seems like the loss of their grandmother has made them realize they need to put the past to rest.”
Another royal commentator, Richard Fitzwilliams, told Metro: “There are reasons why both sides should want a reconciliation – this is an opportunity.
“We sadly lost one of our great monarchs but King Charles shook hands with us in a friendly way and William made a positive move and all [the Sussexes] have answered.’
“Well, let’s see. One of the big questions asked is what role they will play in the rituals in the coming days. For example, will Harry walk behind the Queen’s coffin?
“Will he attend the vigil? I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I think it’s a possibility.’
Mr Fitzwilliams noted that “one of the deepest royal fissures may be healing”.
“Let’s hope,” he added, saying, “I think the cheering of the crowd said it all.”
Kevin Summers, 66, from North Kent, watched the King’s address on his phone outside Buckingham Palace.
He said: “I think a lot of people in this country are hoping that this is now a point where the past is past and putting an end to this nonsense.”
Mr Summers added that the Queen’s “greatest wish” would have been for the Sussexes to return to royal duties.
“We should be entering a new dawn and I hope this is a more peaceful dawn,” he said.
“I think the Queen, probably her greatest wish, would be that she could return to the royal family.”
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https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/10/william-kate-harry-and-meghan-unite-to-view-floral-tributes-for-the-queen-17346886/ William, Kate, Harry and Meghan gather to see floral tributes to the Queen