Prince Philip’s funeral will NOT reconcile William and Harry

On Saturday, Prince Philip's funeral will be more than just a focal point for national mourning. Many people will be looking for signs of reconciliation between Prince Harry and the royal family, especially between him and his older brother, Prince William.

It will be Harry's first encounter with the royal family after he and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, retired from royal duties in March and relocated to California with their young son Archie.

Though Meghan's exit sparked a major conflict in the royal family, Harry and Meghan's relationship further deteriorated last month when they gave a candid interview to American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Harry verified rumours that he and his brother were growing apart, adding, “the relationship is ‘space' at the moment” — though he added that “time heals all things, hopefully.”

The brothers haven't been in the same space since Harry and Meghan, 39, relocated to California last year. As the dust settles from the Sussexes' latest CBS interview, royal analyst Andrew Morton predicts that “the whole world will be watching” when Harry, William, and their father Prince Charles communicate.

The author of Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters, 68, tells Us Weekly, “In a way, it's kind of sad because the focus should be on Prince Philip and his life and legacy. I think that they'll behave very well and … there will be a degree of interaction. They will be cordial, as opposed to friendly .”

While several people believe that Prince Philip's funeral will mend the rift between Harry and William, one royal expert argues that it is “beyond repair.”

This week, the two brothers spoke on the phone ahead of their much-anticipated reunion for their grandfather Prince Philip's funeral on Saturday. According to observers, the somber day is the ideal time for the pair to mend fences.

However, Amanda Platell has stated that the brothers' relationship was once “an unbreakable bond,” but that their relationship has been severely compromised as a result of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's dramatic tell-all.

“Yet break that bond has,” she wrote in the Daily Mail.

“It has been shattered by Harry's swift and unexpected departure from his royal duties to live in the US, and by the incendiary interview he and his wife gave to Oprah Winfrey in California as ‘Grandpa' lay gravely ill in hospital.

The burial, according to the commentator, offers potential for peace between the brothers, but she isn't sure whether forgiveness is really possible.

“There are those who feel William should even find it in himself to forgive Harry, to move on, to forget all the wild, unfounded accusations levelled at him, his wife and the rest of the Royal Family.”

“Yet if I were William – who, let's not forget will one day become the Supreme Governor of the Church of England – I would have to ask myself: Can I really find it in myself to forgive Harry's betrayal? Are some wounds just too deep?

“Harry knew he would be badly letting down his brother William – also father to a young family – increasing not just his burden of duty but also the sheer amount of public engagements he would have to carry out in Harry's absence.

“He knew he was breaking that bond with his brother, yet he did it anyway. For, as Harry said in that interview, it was his new family – not the Royal Family – that now came first .”

“Perhaps even more unforgivable is that Harry allowed his wife to traduce his sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, on more than one occasion.,” she added.

“Those of us who have come to love and admire our future queen were furious.

“Imagine how betrayed her husband must have felt! Harry had committed an unpardonable sin allowing Kate to be attacked. .

“For, make no mistake, there is seldom any forgiveness between brothers when the sisters-in-law fall out.”

As a consequence, Ms Platell believes William and Kate will take “many, many years” before they forgive the Sussexes.