Princes William and Harry won’t walk side-by-side at Prince Philip’s funeral
- The brothers have been grappling with strained relations since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped away from royal duties last year
- Senior royals will wear civilian clothes, avoiding potential controversy over uniforms for Prince Harry and Prince Andrew
Prince William and Prince Harry won’t walk side-by-side on Saturday as they follow their grandfather’s coffin into the church ahead of Prince Philip’s funeral, minimising the chances of any awkward moments between the brothers, who are grappling with strained relations since Harry’s decision to step away from royal duties last year.
Buckingham Palace on Thursday released the broad outlines of the funeral programme for Queen Elizabeth’s husband, who died on April 9 at 99.
The palace revealed that William and Harry’s cousin, Peter Phillips, will walk between the princes as they escort the coffin to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, west of London.
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Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, dies at age 99
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne and the father of the princes, together with his sister, Princess Anne, will lead the 15-member procession.
The brothers had been closely watched as Saturday’s funeral will almost certainly remind the pair of their shared grief at another royal funeral more than two decades ago.
As young boys, both walked behind their mother Princess Diana’s coffin in 1997 in London in a ceremony watched around the world.
Palace officials refused to comment when asked whether the positioning of William and Harry was an effort to minimise family tensions, which have grown after Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey that suggested an unnamed member of the royal family had made a racist comment to Harry before the birth of their child Archie.