A lip reader has uncovered a tense moment between Prince Harry and Prince William during their final joint appearance before Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties.
Harry and Meghan, who officially left the Royal Family in 2020, had taken part in many formal events together during their time as working royals.
One of their last public appearances was at the Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey on March 9 that year, just before they moved to Canada and later to the United States.
It was during this event that Harry was reportedly overheard making a sarcastic comment about his older brother to Meghan.
Despite ongoing tensions — especially after Harry and Meghan accused certain royals of mistreatment — the two brothers maintained a polite front in public at the time.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met up with with Prince William and Kate Middleton (Chris Jackson / Staff / Getty)
At Westminster Abbey, fans noticed a brief exchange where William greeted with a “Hello Harry,” and Harry replied with a simple “Hello,” before lip reader Jeremy Freeman shared the rest of the conversation with The Daily Star.
Meghan reportedly greeted Catherine with a friendly “hi” and gave William a “hello,” although he seemed not to notice her at first.
Harry then turned to Meghan and, according to the lip reader, said: “At least they acknowledged, unlike last time.”
William later spoke to Catherine, allegedly saying: “That was executed well.”
He followed up with: “It’s quite good to connect instead of holding things back like always.
“I know it’s bad, I ought to have words with him. He’ll shout and God knows what but things’ll change, won’t it?”
Just a month after this encounter, Harry stepped away from royal duties and began a new life in the United States.
Royal expert Robert Lacey, in Battle of the Brothers, claimed that this particular service had left Harry and Meghan sidelined.
They were reportedly informed that they wouldn’t be part of The Queen’s Procession, even though they had participated the year before.
Instead, only Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles (now King), Camilla, William, and Catherine were involved — a detail that was printed clearly in the Order of Service for all attendees to see.
Lacey wrote that as “junior” royals, Harry and Meghan had to quietly make their way to their seats like regular guests, sitting off to the side with fellow “juniors” Edward and Sophie Wessex.
According to reports, Harry was “holding back tears” and felt “furious” about being pushed to the sidelines during what was his final royal appearance.
That’s when William and Catherine reportedly made a heartfelt gesture by choosing to join the emotional couple as they waited for the Queen’s arrival.
“It was a small but sensitive gesture of peace,” Lacey noted.
He added that both couples entered their seats just minutes apart and sat with the rest of the guests, awaiting the Queen and Prince Charles, who walked down the aisle with all the formality due to senior royals.
