Prince William and Prince Harry gathered outside Windsor Castle with their partners in an unexpected show of unity following the death of their grandmother, the Queen.
The new Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, greeted mourners and well-wishers together late Saturday afternoon, as they looked at the many floral tributes left by the public.
All four royals were dressed in black as they walked along the gates of Windsor Castle.
It is the first time the two royal couples have appeared in public together since the funeral of their grandfather, Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, in April 2021.
After arriving at the same time, the couples walked along separately, with William and Kate speaking to people on one side of the crowd and Harry and Meghan speaking to people on the other side.
William and Harry, who are thought to have experienced a rift in recent years, also joined forces in July 2021 to unveil a statue marking what would have been the 60th birthday of their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
On the walkabout in the Windsor grounds on Saturday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held hands as they looked at the tributes, with Harry at one point affectionately putting his hand on his wife’s back.
The new Prince and Princess of Wales were given bunches of flowers by members of the crowd as one visitor waved a Welsh flag.
William was also seen lightly touching Kate’s back at one moment as she crouched down to speak to a child at the front of the gates.
At one moment, he was also given a small Paddington Bear.
It was the Cambridges’ first public appearance together since they were announced as Prince and Princess of Wales by King Charles III on Friday, and the first time both women have appeared in public since the Queen’s death.
Princes William and Harry both travelled to Balmoral on Thursday to be at their grandmother’s bedside, but neither of their wives joined them in Scotland.
On Saturday morning, Prince William, alongside Camilla, Queen Consort, was a witness to the formal proclamation of his father’s accession to the throne.
Earlier on Saturday, the first heir to the throne also issued a deeply personal statement speaking of the loss of the Queen – his “Grannie” – and what she meant to him and his family.
“So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign. I, however, have lost a grandmother,” he said.
“She was by my side at my happiest moment. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life.”
Well-wishers and the media were surprised to see the royal couples together.
But according to the PA news agency, a royal source said the new Prince of Wales asked his brother and his wife to join them in viewing the tributes.
The source said: “The Prince of Wales invited the Duke and Duchess to join him and the Princess of Wales earlier.”
