During her remarkable 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth was able to achieve a great deal, but unfortunately, it was her passing that may have been instrumental in securing one of her most significant wins. William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, were joined by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, much to the surprise and excitement of the throng who had gathered outside Windsor Castle. The couples proceeded around the grounds together, greeting everyone who had come to pay their respects and admiring the mountains of floral tributes that had been placed out along the path as they went.

It came as a surprise to everyone how the public felt about Harry and Meghan. The spectators seemed to be delighted to see the Sussexes, despite the fact that the couple had withdrawn from royal life and all of the contentious decisions that followed. When Meghan reached out to comfort a small child who had lost a loved one, it was a touching moment (via The Sun). Even when the two princes and their spouses departed the scene together in a black Audi with William as the driver, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers.

According to People, a source who did not want to be identified said that Prince William wanted the two spouses, who have been at war with each other for years now, to walk the grounds as “a crucial display of solidarity at an extraordinarily difficult time for the family.” At the very least, one observer of the royal family saw it as the first step toward a possible peace agreement between the feuding brothers.

A journalist by the name of Omid Scobie, who is also the author of the book “Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan, and the Making of a Modern Royal Family,” recently made a post on Twitter in which he discussed the significance of the upcoming meeting between Prince William and Prince Harry, who is the Duke of Sussex. “The Waleses had always been slated to welcome well-wishers at Windsor Castle, but royal sources believe the decision to invite the Sussexes was taken in the eleventh hour,” Scobie said. “The Waleses had always been scheduled to receive well-wishers at Windsor Castle.” “It is without a doubt a momentous occasion in the tale of the friendship that has existed between the two brothers throughout their whole lives.”

Scobie continued by saying that the reunion was “a show of the utmost respect to the queen,” and added, “Just as we saw after the loss of Prince Philip and at his funeral, these are the moments when members of the royal family can put differences to the side in order to focus on the loss that has brought them together.”

When William and Harry have met in the past, their interactions have been far less friendly. According to information provided by USA Today, Harry and his brother had very little interaction with one another even though both attended the burial of Philip earlier this year. During the celebration of the queen’s Platinum Jubilee in July, the spouses did not interact with one another outside of the church ceremony, which was the only time they saw one other.

The two princes themselves are the only ones who know the whole story of Prince Harry and Prince William’s friendship. The following days, however, in which the brothers will be living in close proximity to one another and will be present for the burial of the queen on September 19, may provide a look into their future.