The Devastating Joke Prince Harry And Prince William Exchanged At The Queen's Funeral
William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, may not be on the best of terms at the moment, and some are predicting that the claims Harry made against William in his book "Spare" may have destroyed their brotherly bond for good. Still, the two men were able to put aside their differences for the sake of their beloved grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. In his January 8, 2023, interview with ITV's Tom Bradby, Harry explained that the queen's September 2022 funeral was less of a mournful occasion and "more of a celebration and a recognition" of her many accomplishments.
Harry added that he and his brother were united in their support for each other during the funeral service. Bradby brought up the reports that William might have been called on to walk behind the queen's coffin by himself, to which Harry replied, "There is absolutely no way he'd let me do that by myself, and vice versa."
He also shared a private moment of odd levity the two of them shared during a very familiar walk.
The princes had a moment of dark humor
Millions worldwide grieved over the untimely death of Princess Diana in 1997, but none more so than her two sons, Princes William and Prince Harry. Both have expressed their devastation over losing their mother at a young age, and being asked to walk behind her coffin in the funeral procession. It was a memory still fresh in their minds 25 years later as they marched as part of the funeral cortège for Queen Elizabeth II (as seen on NBC's "Today").
However, knowing that their grandmother had lived a long and accomplished life made this journey much easier than the one they'd made for their mother. In his ITV interview, Prince Harry recalled that he and William felt a sense of déjà vu: "We joked with each other and said, 'At least we know the way.'" It was a moment of dark humor, but perhaps a much needed one in their time of sorrow.
Queen Elizabeth's funeral was difficult for Prince Harry
The days leading up to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral may have been fraught for Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. While they were said to have been originally invited to attend a pre-funeral event, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex were allegedly then uninvited to the event, per The Telegraph, though it remains unclear what the circumstances of their attendance were.
Prince Harry also had to abide by several other rules set by the palace to reflect his status during the funeral itself. He was not allowed to wear his military uniform during the procession after his titles were rescinded following his departure from royal life. Only working royals were allowed to appear in military attire. His father, Prince Charles, did give Harry special permission to wear his military uniform during his grandmother's vigil, though, as noted by Forbes.
There was reportedly a previous emotional moment at the funeral of Prince Philip
Although Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and William, Prince of Wales, shared this perhaps sentimental, though dark, moment together during the funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, the two had previously shared another heightened emotional encounter during the funeral of another royal figure, that of their grandfather, Prince Philip.
As detailed in Prince Harry's book, "Spare," copies of which had been obtained by media in the days leading up to its publication, Prince Harry said he confronted his brother during the funeral in April 2021 in an attempt to reconcile following his bombshell interview with Oprah the month prior, per LBC.
His attempts were not fruitful. Harry wrote, "I waved a hand, disgusted, but he lunged, grabbed my shirt. ... I pulled away, refused to meet his gaze. He forced me to look into his eyes [and said], Listen to me, Harold, listen! I love you, Harold! I want you to be happy. ... My voice broke as I told him softly: I really don't think you do."