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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Russell Myers & Jennifer Newton

Harry and Meghan reunite with Prince William and Kate Middleton to view tributes to Queen

The Prince and Princess of Wales have reunited with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to view some of the tributes left at Windsor Castle following the death of the Queen.

The two brothers and their wives unexpectedly put their differences aside as they joined together and looked at the flowers and cards that had been laid by members of the public paying their respects to the monarch, who died at the age of 96 on Thursday, before chatting to wellwishers.

It came after a royal source said William personally invited his brother and sister-in-law to join him on the walkabout as both couples are staying in Windsor.

While the Sussexes' biographer Omid Scobie tweeted that William had made the decision "in the eleventh hour".

Their appearance also marked the first time that William and Kate have been seen together in public since the new King Charles gave them their brand new titles of Prince and Princess of Wales in his address to the nation yesterday.

For the latest updates as the world mourns the Queen and King Charles III's reign begins, follow our live blog.

It's also the first time the two couples have been seen together since the Commonwealth Day service in early 2020, which was the Sussexes final engagement after quitting the royal family.

There have been countless reports of a fallout between the brothers, with Meghan accusing Kate of making her cry during her Oprah Winfrey interview and Harry saying his brother is "trapped".

The royal group emerge through the gates of Windsor Castle (REUTERS)
The royals bend down to inspect the tributes (James Whatling)

The Sussexes arrived holding hands and continued to do so at various stages of the proceedings.

All four royals, dressed in black, bent down to look at some of the many tributes left in front of the gates. Meghan and Harry were seen chatting, but they kept a slight distance away from William and Kate.

At one point, William crouched down to read some of the messages that had been left on the cards.

William and Harry today at Windsor Castle (Steve Reigate)

Meghan rubbed Harry's back reassuringly before linking arms with him as they looked at more of the flowers.

At the end, the brothers got close and started talking to one another as they walked to greet some of the wellwishers. But they went separate ways and went to speak to people on different sides of the road.

A crowd at Windsor Castle also broke out into applause as the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex approached members of the public and spoke to them.

Meghan and Harry shake hands with wellwishers at Windsor Castle (Steve Reigate)
Meghan offers a comforting arm to Harry as they look at tributes (Steve Reigate)

William shook hands with one woman in the crowd and spoke to her for a good lengh of time, while Kate chatted with other members of the public to his side.

At one moment, a small Paddington Bear was given to William, which he passed on to an aide. He was seen lightly touching Kate’s back at one moment as she crouched down again to speak to a child at the front of the gates.

Meghan shook hands with a large number of people, including a child who was on her parent's shoulders and even hugged one girl. Both Meghan and Harry collected flowers from the wellwishers.

Kate chats to those in the crowd (Sky News)

After spending 40 minutes with the public, the two couples got into the same car with William driving them away. Kate joined him in the front with Harry and Meghan in the back.

The walkabout came after William, now heir to the throne, issued a tearjerking tribute to his beloved grandmother following her death.

He said: "On Thursday, the world lost an extraordinary leader, whose commitment to the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth was absolute. So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign.

The couples come together after the end of the walkabout (Sky News)

"I, however, have lost a grandmother. And while I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful.

"I have had the benefit of The Queen’s wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade. My wife has had 20 years of her guidance and support. My three children have got to spend holidays with her and create memories that will last their whole lives.

"She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life. I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real.

The group wave before getting back in their car (TV GRABS)

"I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all.

"My grandmother famously said that grief was the price we pay for love. All of the sadness we will feel in the coming weeks will be testament to the love we felt for our extraordinary Queen.

"I will honour her memory by supporting my father, The King, in every way I can."

Earlier today, William was present at the Accession Council, where his father Charles was officially proclaimed monarch in a poignant and sombre ceremony.

He watched alongside new Queen Consort Camilla and more than 200 privy counsellors – including six former prime ministers – as the King pledged himself to the task now before him and the “heavy responsibilities of Sovereignty”.

The royals view the tributes outside Balmoral (REUTERS)

Meanwhile at Balmoral, other members of the Queen's family viewed flowers and greeted wellwishers at Balmoral - the Scottish Highlands estate where the monarch died on Thursday.

The monarch's granddaughters Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall and Lady Louise Windsor, along with her daughter-in-law Sophie Wessex looked at the tributes.

Also looking at the tributes and greeting the crowds were Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Peter Phillips, Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence.

The Queen's coffin has remained at Balmoral since her death and has been placed in the ballroom there so household staff can line up to pay their respects.

The poignant spot is where the monarch danced during the annual Ghillies Ball and shared special moments with Prince Philip as a young princess.

The coffin is draped in the Royal Standard and will remain in the ballroom until tomorrow, where it will make the journey to the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh before being brought to London.

You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here.

This weekend, the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror celebrate the life of Her Majesty the Queen with a commemorative special filled with all the key moments from Britain’s longest reigning monarch.

Be sure to pick up your copy of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror to get both pullouts.

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