Harry and William ‘to speak separately’ as Princess Diana statue unveiled amid rift

Prince Harry and Prince William will reportedly speak separately at the event (Picture: Getty Images)

Princes William and Harry will make separate speeches when a statue of Princess Diana is unveiled, after they both insisted on writing their own, it was reported.

The brothers have been locked in an ongoing rift since 2018, with their relationship deteriorating further when Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from the Royal Family in 2020.

It was hoped their relationship could improve while the Duke of Sussex was in England for Prince Philip’s funeral – but sources have claimed this is not the case.

The pair commissioned a statue of their late mother together, and are due to attend its unveiling on July 1, on what would have been the Princess of Wales’ 60th birthday.

However, a source has said the brothers’ relationship remains strained, and shared concerns over how their body language could suggest ‘all is not well’ between them.

They told The Sun: ‘There is, of course, hope the memory of Diana can repair their relationship but that seems a long way off right now.

The brothers have shared a strained relationship since 2018 (Picture: Getty Images)

It was hoped that the memory of Diana could repair the relationship (Picture: Getty Images)

‘The brothers will be physically together for the ceremony but want to make their own personal addresses.

‘You might have thought they’d go for a joint statement and speech but that’s not the case. Each has insisted on preparing their own.’

Meghan is not expected to attend the event, as she is pregnant with the Sussexes’ second child and was advised not to fly to England for Philip’s funeral. The Queen also won’t be present, it was reported.

Harry first opened up about his rift with William in 2019, as he admitted that ‘stuff’ had happened between them during ITV’s documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. He noted that as siblings, they had good and bad days.

The Princess of Wales would have been 60 this year (Picture: Getty Images)

He continued: ‘Look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.’

The Duke then further elaborated on this during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was televised in March earlier this year. He told the presenter: ‘The relationship is space, at the moment. Time heals all things, hopefully.’

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from metro.co.uk