Prince Harry and Prince William‘s relationship has become increasingly strained—first with Harry and his wife Meghan Markle’s leaving official royal duties, next with Harry’s exceptionally revealing memoir, Spare. With the death of their uncle, Robert Fellowes, the estranged brothers may have a tense reunion in the coming weeks.
Related: Here’s how much each royal inherited from Queen Elizabeth II
Robert was married to Princess Diana’s sister, Lady Jane Fellowes, and served as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary from 1990 to 1999. The 82-year-old passed away of undisclosed causes on July 29. According to Us Weekly, Harry has been in touch with the Spencer family.
The Daily Beast reported that Harry’s presence at the funeral was unconfirmed, but a former friend of his said the death would have a significant impact. “The death will be a huge blow to the Spencer family. In normal times it would be unimaginable that Harry would not be there to support Jane,” they said.
“Of course, he would want to be there. It will be a huge gathering of the Spencer clan. But these are not normal times and it may well be that everyone feels Harry’s attendance would just create too much drama. It will be very sad for him if he can’t make it.”
Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother, announced Robert’s death on X. “My absolutely exceptional brother-in-law, Robert, is no longer with us,” he tweeted. “A total gentleman—in all the best meanings of that word—he was a man of humor, wisdom & utter integrity. I’m deeply proud to have been his brother-in-law.”
Per his obituary in The Times, Fellowes was regarded as the late Queen’s “most influential adviser” and “had to steer both her, and the institution of which she was titular head, through the divorces of three of her children; her ‘annus horribilis’, and the death of his sister-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales.”
It comes after In Touch reported that the brothers “aren’t even close to a truce,” an insider said in June. “William hasn’t forgiven Harry for what he said in his book.”
