Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton set for tense reunion as brothers come face-to-face | Royal | News (Reports)

On July 1, a statue of Princess Diana will be unveiled at Kensington Palace, four years after its conception was first announced. And Meghan and Prince Harry intend to travel across the pond to attend this important event, royal author Katie Nicholl said.

This ceremony, the expert noted, could be the first time in more than a year the Sussexes and the Cambridges are seen together.

And Kate and Meghan will likely publicly stand next to their husbands in the aftermath of the rumoured split which left them “barely on talking terms”, according to Ms Nicholl.

While rumours of a feud between the brothers were first reported in 2019, Prince Harry and Prince William’s relationship further broke down after the Sussexes said they intended to step back as senior royals one year ago, the expert said.

She recalled: “When William went to the Sandringham Summit, he was so angry with his brother.

“He couldn’t even face going to that lunch with the Queen.

“He only went for the meetings, such was his frustration and feeling of disappointment about what his brother had done and how Harry was handling the situation.”

At Sandringham, Prince William joined his father and grandmother to discuss with Prince Harry the terms of his and Meghan’s exit from the Royal Family as full-time working members.

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On the day of the talks, the Duke of Cambridge is said to have arrived just 15 minutes before the beginning of the summit, while Prince Charles, Prince Harry and the Queen had lunch together.

However, Ms Nicholl added, “things are a lot better” today.

The couples, she told ET online, have been in touch over Christmas via phone and video calls and Meghan and Harry sent across the pond their presents for the Cambridges.

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However, the physical distance between the brothers and the fact that, as Harry said in October 2019, they are now on “different paths”, makes Harry and William’s relationship different from how it has been in the past, Ms Nicholl said.

After conceding they are now “much better”, she said it’s questionable whether William and Harry’s relationship “will ever be as close” as it was before.

Prince Harry and Prince William issued a rare joint statement last summer to announce Princess Diana’s statue unveiling.

Kensington Palace said at the time: “The statue that Prince William and Prince Harry have commissioned to commemorate their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, will be installed next year on what would have been her 60th Birthday.

“The statue was commissioned to mark the 20th anniversary of her death and recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world.

“The statue will be installed in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace on 1st July 2021, marking the Princess’s 60th birthday.

“The Princes hope that the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on their mother’s life and her legacy.”

This ceremony is considered at the moment the only event the Sussexes and the Cambridges will attend together in 2021.

However, Ms Nicholl argued Meghan and Harry may decide to head to London earlier than in July to mark two other key dates in the royal calendar this year – Prince Philip’s 100th birthday and Trooping the Colour.

She told ET Online: “The much-awaited statue tribute to Princess Diana will be unveiled in Kensington Palace gardens on what would have been her 60th birthday.

“And it is Harry’s intention, and Meghan’s also, to be here in the UK for that opening.

“It may possibly be the first time we see the brothers together, but I think that we will probably see them together in the spring around the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s birthday celebrations.

“Covid travel plans permitting.”

Due to travel restrictions, Meghan and Harry have been unable to travel to the UK since they left the country to begin their new post-royal life in March.