Prince William and Prince Harry avoided ‘disastrous rival speeches’ by making a ‘very well-judged decision’ to do a joint statement about Princess Diana’s statue, a leading royal biographer has said.
The two warring brothers were reunited on Thursday to unveil the bronze statue of their beloved late mother on what would have been her 60th birthday after a tumultuous 18 months for their own relationship.
They made a joint statement regarding the occasion, which in part read: ‘Today, on what would have been our mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character — qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better.
‘Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.’
Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult suggested to People that the decision to do a joint statement was a deliberate move to avoid ‘disastrous rival speeches’. His comments come as Prince Harry arrived back in LA.
Prince William and Prince Harry (pictured together on Thursday) avoided ‘disastrous rival speeches’ by making a ‘very well-judged decision’ to do a joint statement about Princess Diana’s statue, a leading royal biographer has said
It comes as Prince Harry has touched down in the US (pictured) after spending the last week in Britain for the unveiling of the statue
He said: ‘It was a very well-judged decision not to have speeches. The idea of rival speeches could have been disastrous, but to bring out a considered joint statement was perfect and shows a way ahead.’
‘They demonstrated a constructive way of dealing with differences,’ he added.
‘[They were] not sweeping [their differences] under the carpet but acknowledging more important things and doing that in a way that warmed everyone’s heart.’
It comes as Prince Harry has touched down in the US after spending the last week in Britain for the unveiling of the statue.
The two warring brothers were reunited on Thursday to unveil the bronze statue (pictured) of their beloved late mother on what would have been her 60th birthday after a tumultuous 18 months for their own relationship
The Duke of Sussex, 36, landed at Los Angeles airport on Saturday morning to be reunited with his wife Meghan Markle, son Archie and daughter Lilibet Diana.
Dressed in a grey baseball cap and white shirt, Harry had a face covering on as he slung a bag over his shoulder and left in a white Chevrolet.
Prince Harry had carried out his ‘amber list’ quarantine at his former Windsor home on arrival in the UK – before being released on day five after receiving a negative Covid test.
This meant he had just two days out of quarantine in England before travelling back to California to reunite with Meghan and their children.
The Duke had flown to Britain to unveil the statue and the brothers put their bitter personal animosity to one side for just over an hour to honour Diana, Princess of Wales, before Harry made a swift exit.
It is not known if Harry met with the Queen – who had returned to Windsor from Scotland on Thursday – while in the UK. Pictured, the brothers unveiling the statue
It is not known if Harry met with the Queen – who had returned to Windsor from Scotland on Thursday – while in the UK.
There were also rumours of a ‘lads’ lunch’ organised with former school and Army friends, but whether this went ahead has not been confirmed.
Although much was made of pictures showing William and Harry smiling, their interaction, in truth, was thin on the ground on Thursday.
It was only as they approached the statue for the unveiling that the brothers, whose relationship has been driven to breaking point by the shocking allegations made by the Sussexes in their Oprah Winfrey interview, were seen to properly speak, and even then their conversations were clearly centred around the event itself.
When the two dukes got into place either side of the statue, William simply said ‘ready?’ before they pulled off the cloth, and the guests applauded. There were no speeches.
Prince Harry, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Earl Spencer attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana
The brothers are said to have barely spoken and have an ‘incredibly strained’ relationship after two years of rows over Harry’s wife and her alleged treatment of staff, the couple’s decision to emigrate to America and the tonnes of ‘truth bombs’ the Sussexes have dropped in TV interviews watched by tens of millions of people around the world.
Harry and Meghan believe they were abandoned by the Royals, even accusing them of racism towards Archie and ignoring their cries for help when the Duchess of Sussex felt lonely and suicidal while pregnant in London.
On Wednesday, his first day out of quarantine, Harry delighted sick children with a surprise visit to the WellChild Awards – an event to celebrate inspirational young people living with serious illnesses.
The event was originally scheduled for September, but the organisers changed the date to allow the Duke of Sussex to attend while he’s in the UK.
The duke – who has been WellChild’s patron since 2007 – spoke to winners and mingled with the awards’ star-studded lineup, including Ed Sheeran.
Pop star Sheeran was overheard congratulating the Duke of Sussex on the birth of his daughter Lilibet Diana last month.