Prince Harry and William appeared at first glance to be on the path to mending their bitter rift when they stood shoulder-to-shoulder for the first time in months.
The brothers came together to unveil a statue tribute to their beloved mother, Princess Diana, who died when they were just little boys.
The smiling pair appeared to be relaxed in each other's company in the first reunion since their grandfather Prince Philip's funeral in April.
They were brought close together to mark what would have been Diana's 60th birthday as Harry returned to Britain from his new life Stateside with wife Meghan Markle, baby Archie and newborn Lilibet.
But the smiling show of unity was a little unconvincing, body language Judi James writes exclusively for the Mirror.
They could have opted for a chilly distance with just a few curt words exchanged but instead William and Harry took the decision to show a display of unity with the eyes of the world on them at the unveiling of their mother’s statue.
Appearing as sons rather than as warring brothers, the two men arrived side by side, performing what looked at the start like unconvincing and over-acted smiles but which soon converted to natural-looking grins as they met their guests and even exchanged a few words and some laughs with one another.
It is hard to mask resentment and act nonchalant instead but both men displayed signs of what looked like genuine relaxation as they made their way to the steps below Diana’s statue to do the unveiling.
There were clearly some signs of inner tensions but the self-comfort ritual that was Harry’s wedding ring fiddling and William’s jacket-patting and touching were all normal traits for both brothers.
There were jokes with all of the guests and it was Harry’s more active eye-checking of his brother that suggested he was keen to build some rapport.
There were moments of eye contact between them and with no obvious changes of eye expression or face-dropping that might suggest suppressed enmity.
Instead Harry’s wide, horizontal grin looked so much like the old, playful Harry before the rift and William’s rounded cheeks and rather more puckered lips suggested genuine pleasure.
When they stood on the steps below the statue they became a team of two, discussing the best way to unveil it, with Harry using some open. Emphatic gestures and grins in what looked like a bid to get his brother smiling.
When the cloth came off it was Harry taking the lead, pulling it to his side and bunching it up until William was left with a short piece of string in his hand.
This could have looked competitive but there were no signs that William minded his brother taking over the task.
This double act between them was so reminiscent of their childhood, when Harry would always be the one getting stuck in while William tended to be more reserved and cautious.
There was a moment of reflection as they looked up at their mother’s face.
If any animosity had run deep beyond repair I would then have expected their gazes to fall in different directions but it was Harry who then threw a look across to his brother as though wanting to share some joint grief with so many shared memories.
