Prince William and Prince Harry will be 'remembering Diana'

The Queen’s Westminster Abbey funeral will be ‘hard’ for William and Harry who had to say say goodbye to their mother Diana ‘under the same roof’, royal experts claim

  • Royal experts said Prince William and Prince Harry will be thinking of Diana 
  • Ingrid Seward told FEMAIL Westminster Abbey carries ‘conflicting memories’
  • Editor revealed the ’emotion’ of the service would be ‘hard’ for the two brothers 
  • Meanwhile Richard Fitzwilliam said brothers would be remembering ‘sad times’ 
  • Full coverage: Click here to see all our coverage of the Queen’s passing

The Queen’s funeral will be ‘hard’ for Prince William and Prince Harry who will be ‘remembering Diana’s 1997 service under the same roof in Westminster Abbey’, royal experts have said. 

The Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales have a well-documented troubled relationship but the death of their grandmother saw the rivals shelve their differences when, with their wives, they viewed floral tributes left to the late Queen. 

However experts have now told FEMAIL how the Queen’s funeral on Monday could be bringing up difficult memories for the two brothers, who will be thinking of their mother’s own service in the same venue in 1997.

Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward said: ‘I think the Abbey carries so many conflicting memories, both happy and sad. The emotion of the actual funeral service will certainly be hard for them as they remember their own mothers funeral under the same roof of Westminster Abbey.’

Meanwhile royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliam added: ‘The memory of that sad time will undoubtedly be with them during these next few days as they, as expected, walk behind the Queen’s coffin as it is taken from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, as both were close to the Queen in very different ways.’

The Queen’s funeral will be ‘hard’ for Prince William and Prince Harry who will be ‘remembering Diana’s 1997 service under the same roof in Westminster Abbey, royal experts have told FEMAIL 

The Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales have a well-documented troubled relationship but the death of their grandmother saw the rivals shelve their differences when, with their wives, they viewed floral tributes left to the late Queen

Richard continued: ‘The emotion at the time of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales was extraordinary.

‘It was a tribute to someone who, despite being personally unhappy, was able to reach out, to give and to communicate with those less fortunate. 

‘The unprecedented outpouring of grief led to the funeral where William aged 15 and Harry aged 12 joined Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Earl Spencer in walking behind her coffin in front of an audience of billions. 

‘Harry later said it was an agonising experience. She was the world’s most glamorous woman who used her talents for charitable causes and she did immense good. 

Experts said the Queen’s funeral on Monday could be bringing up difficult memories for the two brothers, who will be thinking of their mother’s own service in the same venue in 1997

‘She died at just 36, no one has forgotten the way the nation showed its feelings with floral tributes and even clapping after Earl Spencer’s oration. Her memory lives on.’

He continued: ‘This Monday another unique figure is being laid to rest who is without doubt one of the greatest monarchs in our history and whose reign spans over 70 years, the longest in our history. 

‘Time honoured rituals are marking her passing, but the way she touched the lives of those she served as she swore she would do when she was 21, has been truly extraordinary. 

‘The huge crowds who are making their way to the Palace, as I saw yesterday, are paying homage to her unfailing sense of duty until the end. 

Prince William and Prince Harry stood side-by-side as they watched their mother coffin following the funeral in London in 1997 

Now King Charles with Prince Harry, Earl Spencer, Prince William and the Duke of Edinburgh watching the coffin bearing the body of Diana, Princess of Wales

‘The scale of her funeral will probably surpass that of Britain’s wartime leader, Sir Winston Churchill, as so many world leaders, including President Biden, pay tribute to her memory at Westminster Abbey, where Diana’s funeral was also held.

‘The effect of Diana’s death has always been with both William and Harry. Harry said it was extraordinary to meet strangers publicly weeping for someone they hadn’t met when her children could not show emotion. 

 ‘Sometimes “idle ceremony” as Shakespeare’s Henry V put it, can be very potent.’

Meanwhile Ingrid said comparisons between the two events should not be drawn lightly, adding: ‘One was a horrible shock accident and the other the death of a 96-year-old woman.

The comments come after it emerged William and Harry could walk side by side behind the Queen’s coffin at her funeral next week in a potential royal truce

Days after the Prince of Wales offered his brother an ‘olive branch’ by inviting him on a walkaround to meet mourners outside Windsor, there is a suggestion they could put their differences aside during the time of national mourning

‘The feelings of grief would be quite different.’

However she added: ‘William and Harry might recall the outpourings of affection from the crowds. 

‘But their crowd was sobbing if I remember and the queens crowd are quiet and on the whole dignified.’

The comments come after it emerged William and Harry could walk side by side behind the Queen’s coffin at her funeral next week in a potential royal truce.

It comes as the royal family attempts to put on a united front during the period of national mourning, as they try to put aside their differences for the greater good following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral on Thursday

Days after the Prince of Wales offered his brother an ‘olive branch’ by inviting him on a walkaround to meet mourners outside Windsor, there is a suggestion they could put their differences aside during the time of national mourning.

The pair had been separated by their cousin Peter Phillip at the funeral of Prince Phillip last year, and since then have only been seen in public together once before Saturday’s surprise walk.

What form the truce takes at the Queen’s service on Monday, September 19, remains to be seen, with reports suggesting that Prince Andrew is also set to play a key role despite controversies in the last few years.

The Duke of York is expected to join his family as they unite in their grief, with sources saying it would be ‘out of the question’ for him to be excluded.

However, despite this apparent reprieve for the disgraced prince, there would seem to be no way back into public life for him, with both the king and the Prince of Wales previously saying he would have no formal role during their reigns.

It comes as the royal family attempts to put on a united front during the period of national mourning, as they try to put aside their differences for the greater good following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral on Thursday.

The deterioration in the 96-year-old monarch’s health was sudden, with Charles being the only one of her children or grandchildren to make it to her side before she passed away.

While arrangements for the funeral service are still being ironed out, the Sun reports that discussions are underway that could see William and Harry stand side by side during the procession.

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