Did Prince William extend an olive branch to Harry in a brief message in 2022?

Prince Harry and Prince William’s once-close bond has been strained since Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties in early 2020 and relations between the brothers have only deteriorated further following the release of Harry’s memoir ‘Spare’ in January 2023.

In the book, Harry painted a raw and often unflattering picture of royal life, revealing personal grievances and detailing private moments, including a physical altercation with William.

Since then, the brothers have reportedly not been on speaking terms. Harry’s recent visits to the UK, including this week and last September, have not included any private meetings with William, reflecting the depth of the ongoing estrangement.

But in September 2022, just days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there was a brief and unexpected pause in the royal rift .

According to The Express, Prince William sent Harry a last-minute text before a scheduled walkabout at Windsor Castle, inviting him and Meghan to join him and Kate to greet mourners and view floral tributes for their grandmother.

The invitation came just minutes before the Prince and Princess of Wales were due to appear in public and was seen as a significant gesture by William at a moment of national mourning.

Sources cited by Daily Mail disclosed that the plan “happened very quickly” and was meant to present a unified royal front. The appearance of the two couples on the Long Walk in Windsor marked the first time the “Fab Four” had been seen together in over two years.

The event was initially scheduled for 4:30 pm (local time), but was reportedly delayed by 45 minutes as the brothers coordinated behind the scenes.

Though interactions between the couples were notably limited, the joint walkabout was widely viewed as a moment of calm, a symbolic show of unity during a period of shared grief. However, despite public hopes that the gesture might signal reconciliation, it proved short-lived. The brothers have not been seen together in a similar setting since.

According to The Mirror, their relationship remains frozen. Even during Harry’s recent UK visits, no private meetings between him and William are believed to have taken place.

The walkabout now stands as a rare instance of peace during an otherwise difficult chapter for the royal family, a fleeting attempt at unity, born from a single, last-minute message.