Inside Prince William’s ‘United Front’ With Prince Harry, Meghan Markle

Let them go. Prince William‘s public reunion with Prince Harry Meghan Markle “wasn’t an easy decision” for the royal to make, an insider exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly.

“In the end, [William]You have been elected to [invite them] because it was agreed amongst all of them that this very much the appropriate thing to do,” a source shares with Use about the Prince of Wales’ choice to greet mourners alongside his brother, 37, following Queen Elizabeth II‘s death.

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According to the insider, William, 40, didn’t want any drama to overshadow his grandmother’s legacy.

“For all of their differences in the past, many of which still linger, this was what The Queen would have wanted and William knew very well that it was no time to be holding onto grudges or distancing himself from his brother,” the source continues. “They needed to put on a united front and pay their respects for her sake as well as the monarchy as a whole and the people she served so tirelessly during her reign.”

William and his wife Duchess KateOn Saturday, September 10, the couple were photographed greeting well-wishers in Windsor (England). The couple, who share kids Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4, were joined by Harry and Meghan, 41, days after Elizabeth’s death at the age of 96.

The foursome’s outing marked their first joint public appearance in years. Following Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from their roles as senior roles, the Duke of Sussex’s relationship with his older brother took a turn.

“William was blindsided by Harry and Meghan’s decision and statement,” a second source previously told Use in January 2020, shortly after the pair’s announcement made headlines. “There’s still a rift between the two brothers. It’s sad because when they were younger, William would be the first person Harry would go to with big news like this.”

The Duke and Duchess, who shared Archie, three-year-old, and Lili, fifteen months, made their exit permanent on February 1, 2012. They later moved to California. The couple have spoken out candidly about the challenges they faced during their time in the U.K.

“It’s a mix between The Truman Show and living in a zoo,” Harry said during an appearance on Dax Shepard‘s “Armchair Expert” podcast in May 2021. “The biggest issue for me was that, being born into it, you inherit the risk. It is a fact that you inherit all of it. And because of the way the U.K. media are, they feel an ownership over you.”

He added: “In my early 20s, I was in space of, ‘I don’t want this job. Look what it did to my mum, how am I ever going to settle down, have a wife and a family, when I know this is going to happen again.’ I’ve seen behind the curtain, I know how this operation runs and works. I don’t want to be part of this. Then once I started doing therapy suddenly the bubble was burst.”

Watch the video above to see where Harry and William stand right now. Also, check out the new issue of Us WeeklyNow, the on stands