It was a Prince William text NOT King Charles order that was responsible for 'Fab Four' walkabout
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM: Richard Kay, the Daily Mail's Editor at Large, has written in an article that the reunion of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Prince William and Kate Middleton outside Windsor Castle happened after William sent a text to Harry asking if he and Meghan wanted to view flowers left at Windsor, and not because of King Charles III's orders. An appearance of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the gates of Windsor Castle has surprised fans. The four spent time talking to those who gathered outside after the Queen died at Balmoral on Thursday, September 8, aged 96.
The 'Fab Four', as they were referred to before Meghan and Harry refused to carry on their royal duties, entered a vehicle after the 40-minute walkabout. While William entered the driver's seat with Kate by his side, Harry and Meghan sat in the back. A video shared online shows Harry opening and closing his wife's car door for her.
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King Charles told Prince Harry that Meghan Markle was 'not welcome' at Balmoral to see dying Queen
On Saturday, September 10, Prince William and Kate Middleton, along with Harry and Meghan, appeared in black at Windsor Castle to witness the floral tributes laid outside the gates of the Berkshire estate. This was the first time the four of them appeared together in public since Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020, before the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Both Harry and Meghan quit frontline duties two years ago and later made several allegations against The Firm. However, after all these years, they were all seen holding hands as they looked at the tributes. They pointed at the tributes and discussed them.
Previous reports claimed that a palace source revealed the walkabout reunion of the two royal couples came after Charles ordered that they keep their feud aside and reunite for the sake of the Queen. The source claimed William had extended the olive branch to Harry after a chat with the King.
However, the Daily Mail's Richard Kay has now claimed that the initiative was actually prince William's and not Charles'. William required Harry to agree despite the two having blamed each other for the estrangement in the past. He said that William, after asking his brother if he would like to witness the tributes together, sent him a text with a proposed time, which Harry acknowledged. "‘It happened very quickly – remarkable really considering they didn’t see each other in Scotland," a source said.
Before the text exchange, William flew up to Scotland, accompanied by his uncles Andrew and Edward. While Harry's absence was unexplained, some reports suggested he had asked Meghan to accompany him until he learned that Kate would not be there with her husband. He initially traveled alone on his own privately chartered plane and arrived at Balmoral only several hours after the Queen's death. The four, however, were finally seen together.
Kay wrote for the Daily Mail, "The gesture was certainly decisive. One thing we have learned is that it was not done on the direction of their father as was being widely reported over the weekend. A royal source said such suggestions were ‘absolutely not the case’. Nor is it true that William acted only after learning Harry was set on his own walkabout among the crowds complete with an attendant TV crew."
The walkout had initially been planned for 4.30 pm. However, it was pushed back by 45 minutes as the brother reinforced the last-minute nature of the olive branch by communicating with each other. A well-wisher who spoke to Harry and Meghan told Daily Mail, "It's lovely to see them both together. Maybe they can get back to a proper relationship. Lovely ripple went through the crowd as they approached. Hopefully the healing between Harry and his brother can start now. I'm just so excited to have seen them both together. It's lovely."
"We couldn't believe it when the gates opened, and we saw William and Harry walk down with Meghan and Kate. I'll be honest there was a little bit of a groan when Harry and Meghan came down our side, but I passed him a bunch of flowers and he was happy to take them," said another mourner. "I'm pleased that they came out together and as a family I'm delighted that they all took the time to come and say hello to the crowds. Sad things like funerals bring families together so I hope that when they get back to California they think long and hard about everything that's happened."