William, Harry, and Meghan Needed an Extra Push to Make 2022 Windsor Castle Appearance Together — Book
It was a big moment in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s 2022 death, a reunion of Prince William and Prince Harry. The estranged brothers, alongside their wives, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, made a joint public appearance outside Windsor Castle. According to a royal biography, they weren’t eager to do so. King Charles III reportedly pushed his oldest son, the Prince of Wales, to invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan got a “pep talk” from staff.
William invited Harry and Meghan to the Windsor Castle appearance after ‘pressure’ from King Charles
In Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, author Omid Scobie returned to Sept. 10, 2022. That day, the Prince and Princess of Wales, who had only recently started using their new titles, were joined by Harry and Meghan.
The foursome, clad in mourning black, greeted crowds outside Windsor Castle as they looked at flowers and notes left in the queen’s memory. According to the royal correspondent, whose latest book may prompt legal action from the royal family, King Charles got in touch with William mere hours before the appearance.
“The public, said the new king, needed to see the entire family putting differences to one side,” Scobie wrote before quoting a palace source who told him:
“Essentially, he told William to swallow his pride and invite his brother and sister-in-law to join them when they greeted mourners and well-wishers in Windsor that day. William wasn’t keen. This was his moment with the public, but the King put pressure on [him].”
Nevertheless, William did as his father suggested. With approximately 40 minutes left before he and Kate planned on stepping out on Windsor Castle’s Long Walk, he sent a text message to Harry for the first time in months. The now-41-year-old father of three suggested it’d be “good” if Harry and Meghan joined them.
Harry and Meghan were told to ‘get out there’ before joining William and Kate in Windsor
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn’t have much time to consider William’s offer. Plus, “Meghan, in sneakers with her hair pulled up, had only just come back from a walk.”
That’s where Harry and Meghan’s head of communications, Ashley Hansen, came in. According to Endgame, she gave the pair a “pep talk,” encouraging them to join William and Kate outside Windsor Castle.
“It doesn’t matter how little time you have, just get out there and do it,” Hansen said, prompting Harry and Meghan to “quickly” get ready.
The conversation as William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan climbed into the car, or lack thereof proved “very noticeable.”
“Given the tension between the brothers and zero communication between Meghan and Kate,” Scobie wrote, “the 150-second car ride to the Long Walk felt like two hours as they muddled through light small talk.”
“Discomfort and reluctancy” soon washed over Harry and Meghan as they glimpsed video cameras and photographers “ready to capture the arrival as a group of four.”
At the time, they knew that a crowd would be gathered. However, not that there’d be an “official media presence.” They didn’t learn until later that Kensington Palace “tipped off a select group of people” to the occasion.
William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan were ‘consummate professionals’ despite nerves and tension
Scobie continued. The moment the two couples stepped out of the car, they were “consummate professionals.” However, feelings just below the surface were still there.
The author cited sources who told him Meghan had been “extremely nervous” about being in front of crowds, given her extremely low popularity in the U.K. at the time.
“When I saw the videos of Meg, I could see she was doing her best to hold it together; she looked terrified,” one of her “closest friends” told Scobie. A hug from a well-wisher, the author noted, left Meghan “choked up.”
Meanwhile, “Kate reportedly found the outing just as difficult.” In what made headlines earlier in 2023, she was said to have admitted to a relative that “it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do.”
The 42-minute walkabout ended with a “somewhat forced photo” of Harry, William, Meghan, and Kate, “orchestrated” by the Prince of Wales. However, Buckingham Palace and Sussex sources denied reports the “show of unity” was William’s idea.
“‘Sounds like a grab for positive press,” snarked a Charles aide,” to Scobie.
Harry and Meghan haven’t reunited with William and Kate publicly since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. Most recently, Harry attended the coronation alone in May 2023.
