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Yahoo News UK

Harry and William pictured solemnly walking behind Queen's coffin in echo of Diana's funeral

Kate BuckBreaking News Editor, Yahoo News UK
Updated
4 min read
William and Harry have joined at their grandmothers funeral following years of reported rifts (BBC)
William and Harry have joined at their grandmother's funeral following years of reported rifts. (BBC)

The Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex accompanied senior royals to march behind the Queen's coffin in an echo of their mother's funeral.

King Charles and other senior royals – including the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales and the Earl of Wessex – were all wearing military uniform for the procession of the coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for her funeral service.

The Duke of York and the Duke of Sussex, who are no longer working royals, wore suits as they marched behind the carriage.

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It is the second time William and Harry have accompanied their grandmother's coffin during the period of national mourning.

Following an emotional service in Westminster Abbey, the brothers retook their positions in a procession through central London as the Queen passed by Buckingham Palace for the final time.

The late Queen will be taken to Windsor Castle where she will be laid to rest in St George's Chapel alongside her husband the Duke of Edinburgh.

The event marked the fourth time since the Queen's death that Harry and William have been pictured carrying out an engagement together, sparking hopes they may be able to put the past behind them and rekindle their relationship.

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On Wednesday, the pair united in honour of the Queen as her coffin was taken by procession from Buckingham Palace to its lying in state in Westminster Hall.

Read more: Queen's funeral - Why is the white staff broken over her coffin?

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Suzssex arrive at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, held at Westminster Abbey, London.Picture date: Monday September 19, 2022.
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Suzssex arrive at the State Funeral of the Queen. (PA)
King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, the Earl of Snowdon the Duke of Gloucester and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence walk behind the coffin ahead of the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, held at Westminster Abbey, London. Picture date: Monday September 19, 2022.
King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, the Earl of Snowdon the Duke of Gloucester and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence walk behind the coffin. (PA)
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, leaves Westminster Abbey during the State Funeral in London. Picture date: Monday September 19, 2022.
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, leaves Westminster Abbey during the State Funeral. (PA)

The pair joined their six cousins to stand vigil at the Queen's coffin as she lay in state on Saturday, joining hundreds of thousands who queued to pay their respects to the late monarch.

Harry was granted permission to wear his Blues and Royals uniform for the vigil, having been told to wear a morning suit for the rest of the events to commemorate his grandmother.

The brothers also appeared at a walkabout with the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex outside Windsor Castle two days after the Queen's death.

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While the rift seems to have been put aside during the period of mourning, there are fears things could once again turn sour as Harry prepares to release his memoirs of time growing up inside the royal family.

Read more: Prince William: - Queen coffin procession 'brought back memories of Diana's funeral'

(BBC)
King Charles and other senior royals – including the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales and the Earl of Wessex – were all wearing military uniform for the procession of the coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. (BBC)

The brothers have had a strained relationship since Prince Harry quit as a working royal and moved to California with his wife Meghan.

Since then, the pair have rarely been pictured in public together, but on Monday stood side-by-side as they walked with the Queen's coffin.

The event sparked memories of the brothers walking behind the coffin of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who was killed in a car crash in 1997.

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The two princes, aged just 15 and 12 at the time, walked behind, in a moment which William later said was the "hardest thing" and was a "very long, lonely walk".

Read more: Why Prince Harry wasn't in military uniform but Prince William was

FILE - In this Sept. 6, 1997 file photo, from left, Britain's Prince Philip, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk outside Westminster Abbey during the funeral procession for Diana, Princess of Wales. Buckingham Palace officials say Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died, it was announced on Friday, April 9, 2021. He was 99. Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle. Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, married Elizabeth in 1947 and was the longest-serving consort in British history.  (AP Photo/Jeff J. Mitchell, Pool, File)
Prince Philip, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk outside Westminster Abbey during the funeral procession for Diana, Princess of Wales. (AP)
FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 6, 1997 file photo, Prince Charles, the former husband of Diana, Princess of Wales, and their two sons Harry, centre, and William wait in front of Westminster Abbey in London after the funeral ceremony of the Princess. Prince Charles is readying the paperwork to claim his pension when he turns 65 on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013, but he still hasn't started the job he was born to do.  (AP Photo/ Joel Robine/Pool)
Harry, centre, and William wait in front of Westminster Abbey in London after the funeral ceremony of their mother after her funeral. (AP)
King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex followed by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II leaves Westminster Hall for the State Funeral at Westminster Abbey, London. Picture date: Monday September 19, 2022.
King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex followed by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex as the coffin of the Queen leaves Westminster Hall. (PA)

William said of walking behind his mother's funeral that not crying was an act of "self-preservation"

While viewing flower tributes to the Queen in Sandringham on Thursday, William reportedly chatted to an onlooker and told her the procession brought back memories of when he was a teenager.

Jane Wells, 54, from Lincolnshire, told the Telegraph: “He said how difficult it was yesterday and how it reminded him of his mum’s funeral... Catherine said it’s just been such a difficult time for all of them, for the whole family.”

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He was also caught on camera talking to the public, was heard saying: "Doing the walk yesterday was challenging, it brought back a few memories.

"It's kind of one of those moments where you think to yourself 'I've prepared myself for this, but I'm not that prepared'."

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