Last night, Prince Harry left his grandmother’s vigil with his cousin Zara Tindall, with whom he has a very strong bond.
Following the 15-minute vigil at Westminster Hall, the Duke of Sussex, 38, and Zara Tindall, 41, were pictured sitting side by side in the rear of a vehicle. Prince William, 40, was in the same car as Zara’s brother Peter Phillips, 44.
Despite simultaneous public appearances and gestures toward forgiveness, William and Harry’s choice not to share a car may suggest a lingering strain between the brothers.
It also demonstrates Harry’s close friendship with his cousin Zara.
Zara, Princess Anne’s daughter, and her husband Mike are also close to Prince Harry and Meghan, though they are not known to have visited the pair at their new home in Los Angeles. Lena, the couple’s youngest daughter, is even godfathered by the Duke.
Harry and his brother William were reared in Gloucestershire, just a few miles away from Zara and her brother Peter Phillips.
The four royal cousins were frequently seen laughing and joking at royal engagements, with William earlier admitting that it was “difficult to keep a straight face” when sitting opposite his cousins in church.
The link between cousins is especially strong for members of the Royal Family, who may be reluctant to accept strangers into their inner circle.
The cousins are so close that they are all members of a WhatsApp group where they share messages about forthcoming events and family news.
Both Peter and Zara have previously been portrayed as ‘peacemakers’ between William and Harry, with the new Prince of Wales requesting that his cousin stand between the two during Prince Philip’s funeral procession in April.
Harry is rumored to have introduced Zara to her current spouse, Mike Tindall. After being dropped from England’s World Cup team, the former England rugby player was alleged to be sinking his grief at a Sydney bar when his friend Harry introduced the two.
Mike, a non-working royal who resides on Princess Anne’s Gatecombe estate, is also close to the Duke of Sussex.
In 2011, Prince Harry attended Mike’s stag do, and Mike jokingly volunteered to be Prince Harry’s best man when he declared his engagement to Meghan Markle.
Mike also joked about not being invited to Prince Harry’s bachelor party, saying at the time, it was certainly a very good choice on his side that he wouldn’t be there.
Mike and Zara have also supported Harry and Meghan on their infrequent visits to the UK after Megxit.
Earlier this year, the duo were seen joking with Zara during the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee.
It came despite expectations for a brotherly reunion following the Queen’s death, with the princes walking side by side behind her coffin as it was carried to lay in state at the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday.
It was a touching scene that drew similarities to walking behind Princess Diana’s coffin during her burial in 1997.
This comes after William and Harry, together with their spouses Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, put up an unlikely unified face during a walkabout outside Windsor Castle on Saturday.
However, sources close to the brothers are alleged to have stated that there has been “no significant reconciliation” as of yet.
