The Truth About the Awkward Reunion of the Royal "Fab Four"

On Saturday, the unthinkable happened: Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, were joined by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, to greet the public at Windsor Castle. The reunion of the royal Fab Four was the first time the two couples were photographed together since 2020, prior to Harry and Meghan's shocking Megxit from their life as working members of the Royal Family. In the years since, the couple has lashed out at the Firm in a number of interviews, making a reconciliation between the two brothers seem highly unlikely. However, has the death of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, brought Harry and William and their respective wives together again, or was the weekend reunion a show of unity for the sake of the family? Here is what all of the experts think. 

Omid Scobie, the Royal biographer for Meghan and Harry tweeted that the invitation to Harry and Meghan was extended at the last minute. "The Waleses had always been scheduled to greet well-wishers at Windsor Castle, but royal sources say the decision to invite the Sussexes was made in the eleventh hour. It is, without a doubt, a significant moment in the history of the relationship between the two brothers," he wrote in a tweet. "Just as we saw after the death of Prince Philip and at his funeral, these are the moments when members of the royal family can put differences to one side to focus on the loss that has brought them together. Today's public reunion was a show of the utmost respect to the Queen," he added in another. 

However, other insiders aren't quite so sure that their united front means that they are putting their differences aside. "It's quite hard to spend too much time with someone you know is about to publish a tell-all book about you," someone told The Telegraph. "The general reaction to Harry and Meghan's behaviour has been one of incredulity," added another

The Sun interviewed body language expert Judi James, who pointed out that the couples seemed very awkward during their walk. "This 'reunion' looked like an intentional gesture rather than a signal that the Fab Four were somehow back on track. The body language story that underlined this appearance suggested little more than a desire to do the right, adult thing to respect both their grandmother and their father, the new King," she said. 

"Kate got out of the car and slammed the door herself, striding off and leaving Meghan trailing in her wake. There was no eye contact between them and Meghan paused and hung back while Kate rushed to join the brothers and greet their host," she continued. "As the four stood face to face at the end of the outing, both Meghan and Kate sucked their lips in rather than smiling at each other and each other's husbands. Kate pulled back so far that William put an arm out to pull her towards Harry and Meghan for the final line-up pose. She was off quickly afterwards, opening her own door of the car and jumping in while Harry rushed to open Meghan's for her."

Per The Sun on Sunday, "It is understood past wounds haven't fully healed, and the walkabout was more a temporary truce." However, Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams believes the brothers are making "real progress" in healing their relationship, calling the reunion a "sensational surprise." He added that it is "very possible" that Harry will take on an "active" role in the mourning period. "This is a sensational surprise, seeing them together at Windsor looking at the tributes to one of the greatest of our monarchs. It would benefit everyone to heal this rift, the Sussexes would have no work without their royal status," he said. "The Royal Family have suffered a great deal from their attacks, especially on Oprah. We thought even though they were living so close at Windsor the once inseparable brothers were very far apart." He added: "The Queen always said the Sussexes were 'much-loved members' of the royal family. They had to step down and felt publicly bitter. King Charles sent them his love in his moving address. Now we see real progress."