Prince William and Harry’s fateful last Easter Sunday together before ‘rift’ tore brothers apart
It’s been five years since Prince Harry last attended the Easter Sunday service in Windsor with the Royal Family, at a time when tension between the brothers was reportedly high

Prince Harry’s last appearance at the royal Easter celebrations came when talk of a rift was rife.

This year’s annual Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor will look very different from years gone by, as the Waleses take time out from public duties to adjust to Princess Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

King Charles will lead the service and rally the nation alongside Queen Camilla, while the Sussexes are expected to spend it in California with their children.

It will mark five years since Harry last attended the traditional church service in 2019, a year before he and Meghan Markle stepped down from their positions in the Firm. Meghan, who was heavily pregnant at the time, skipped the Easter tradition and Harry went alone. It was at a time when rumours of tensions between the Fab Four were brewing.

Mike and Zara Tindall stood between the brothers (
Image:
Adam Gray / SWNS)
The royals were photographed as they arrived at the chapel, but Harry was captured walking by himself and staring at the ground as his brother and sister-in-law followed behind. The siblings reportedly did not speak to each other as they entered and left the chapel, and were separated by their cousin Zara Tindall and her husband Mike, who stood in between Harry and William outside.

At the time, rumours of a rift between Harry and William had been going on for several months, fuelled by Harry and Meghan’s decision to move out of Kensington Palace and set up a family home at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. The Easter Service only furthered speculations that a ‘feud’ between them was bubbling.

Body language expert Judi James told the Mirror after the service: “The body language between the two princes here doesn’t just add to the speculation that the pair are no longer on speaking terms, it seems to suggest that any rift might have got even wider.” She said Harry looked “awkward” and their distance hinted that “he could be desperate to avoid him”.

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Judi added: “His facial expression looks dour and he seems to raise one hand to touch his face in what looks like a partial cut-off gesture suggesting a desire to hide.” It was later reported that Kate and William went to visit Harry and Meghan at Frogmore Cottage after the church service to resolve their issues.

Less than a year later, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step down as senior working royals and move overseas to the US. The couple said in their statement: “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.”