William and Harry are together again to mourn the queen, but "some major unresolved issues" remain
London – As the official mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II continued on Monday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's relationship with the rest of the royal family appeared as complicated as it's ever been. Nobody expected estranged brothers William, the Prince of Wales, and Harry — alongside their wives Kate, the Princess of Wales, and Meghan — to be back on royal duty together, two years after Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals and moved to the United States.
So when all four appeared outside Windsor Castle over the weekend, together, to greet well-wishers, it raised some eyebrows. According to one veteran royal correspondent, however, it was a moment in time, not a rift completely mended.
"I think there are some major unresolved issues at foot," Roya Nikkhah, a royal correspondent who's reported on the monarchy for over a decade, told CBS News. "For William and Harry to agree to come together and do that walkabout was not plain sailing."
Nikkhah said there would have been a lot about the show of unity that was negotiated in advance.
"Probably the nature of how they were going to do it, how close they were going to be, were they going to come in the same car, were they not — all of those things are at play," Nikkah told CBS News.
As the queen's health failed, close family members flew together to her castle in Scotland, but Harry traveled alone, and while representatives initially said Meghan would accompany him, in the end, she didn't go.
The royal family reportedly told the couple that they wanted to limit numbers, and Kate also stayed at home.
In his first address to the nation as monarch, King Charles III seemed to offer an olive branch, saying: "I also want to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas."
But he also highlighted the brothers' divergent paths, promoting William to the role of Prince of Wales, which has traditionally been assigned to heirs-in-waiting, and Kate to Princess of Wales, a title last used by Princess Diana.
"Had Harry and Meghan not stepped back from royal duties when they did, they would have stepped up, too, in terms of positioning, role, seniority," said Nikkhah. "He's still the son of the king, but he's hanging out with movie stars and making Netflix shows in America."