Prince Harry and Meghan join William and Kate on a stroll through Windsor

WINDSOR, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Prince Harry and his wife Meghan joined William and his wife Kate on a walk through crowds near Windsor Castle on Saturday following the death of their grandmother Queen Elizabeth, raising the question of possibility of a rapprochement between the brothers.

The two sons of King Charles, once so close after the death of their mother Diana in a car accident in Paris in 1997, have fallen out in recent years after Harry and Meghan gave up their royal titles to move to the United States. Joined.

The couple had been in Britain on a brief visit when the queen, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, died on Thursday.

Like other senior members of the royal family, Harry was quick to be at the queen’s side when she declined at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and a spokesman for the heir to the throne said William had extended an invitation to him for the walk. of Windsor.

A royal source described it as an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family. They got out of the same car, all dressed in black.

The two couples did not interact much during the 40-minute walk near one of the queen’s favorite English homes, stopping to read messages left among the flowers, shaking hands and chatting with the thousands of people lining the LongWalk.

“I think that really draws a line under what’s happened historically, and I think it’s a very strong sense of unity for the royal family. It was really lovely to watch,” said Raj Kaur, 41, who was in the crowd. .

At one point, Meghan was embraced by a woman in the crowd as others reached out to shake hands and speak with the four royals earlier in the evening. William crouched down for a while chatting with the children, while Kate and Harry accepted flowers and messages of encouragement from the crowd.

Royal observers had been looking for signs of detente amid the pomp and ceremony of a period of national mourning and Elizabeth’s state funeral. read more

On Friday, Charles used his first address to the nation as king to express his “love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives abroad.”

He also gave William and his daughter-in-law Kate the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales, which he and his late wife Diana previously held.

William was heard telling a well-wisher that the days after the queen’s death had been “so surreal”.

“We all thought he was invincible,” he said.

Asked by someone else in the crowd how her children, George, 9, Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 4, who started at a new school the day the queen died, were coping, she replied: “The children are fine, thank you.” . They’re good. It’s not ideal for starting new schools with everything going on.”

Under royal rules, the monarch’s grandchildren are automatically eligible to become princes or princesses of the kingdom, so now that Harry’s father, Charles, is king, his children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, they can receive those titles. Lilibet was named for her from the queen’s childhood nickname.

It is not clear if they will take the titles.

“At the moment we are focused on the next 10 days. As we get information, we will update the (real) website,” a spokesman for Charles told reporters.

Reporting by Kate Holton and Michael Holden in London and Peter Nicholls and Hanna Rantala in Windsor; Edited by Elizabeth Piper and Mark Potter

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