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Kate, the Princess of Wales, and Prince Harry have become the subjects of a new viral video, gaining over 1 million views in four days on the social-media platform TikTok.
Fans highlighted a synchronized moment shared by the brother- and sister-in-law during a 2015 royal engagement in resurfaced footage.
Harry and Kate were photographed together regularly in the years between the latter's marriage into the British royal family in 2011 to Prince William, and Harry's eventual exit from the monarchy with wife, Meghan Markle, and their move to the U.S. in 2020.
A number of the pair's light-hearted interactions during official royal events resurfaced in the months after Harry's move to the U.S. Commentators analyzed Harry and Kate's relationship after the prince's criticisms of the royal family in subsequent interviews, a docuseries and a memoir, Spare.
Uploaded to TikTok by user @william.catherine on August 1, the newest viral clip of Harry and Kate shows the pair matching each other's movements during their attendance at a special service of commemoration. It was for the men and women who served in the British and Commonwealth forces during the Afghanistan conflict from 2001 to 2014.
The service was held on March 13, 2015 at St Paul's Cathedral in London. It was attended by all senior members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, the then-Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Princess Anne.
The video, taken at the end of the service, shows Kate and Harry exchanging words before both reach for their hats in a synchronized motion. The clip, which slows down the movement to highlight it, has received more than 88,000 likes and over 420 comments, many of which have reflected on the in-laws' relationship today.
"It's so sad he was a brother in her eyes," wrote one TikTok user of the video.
"He looks just like his grandad there when he was younger," posted another. "I miss their dynamic too, she adored him. Always laughing."
A further comment read: "They had such a great relationship."
The breakdown in relations between Kate and Meghan and Harry became a key topic of interest to the public and tabloid media since the Sussexes left the monarchy and moved to the U.S.
The first public confirmation that there were tensions between the princess and Meghan came in 2021. The latter told Oprah Winfrey that reports suggesting she had made Kate cry before the 2018 royal wedding were false and that it had been Kate who had made her weep.
Varying accounts of the incident, over the fit of Princess Charlotte's bridesmaids dress, have emerged. However, Meghan told Winfrey that Kate had apologized and added that she believed her to be a good person.
Harry did not discuss his relationship with Kate until the publication of his memoir, Spare, in January 2023.
In the context of his life story, the prince wrote that he first found his future sister-in-law to be carefree, sweet and kind. Harry added that, though he had concerns she would create a distance between himself and his brother, he was consoled with thoughts of "all our future laughing fits together, and I told myself how great everything would be when I had a serious girlfriend who could laugh along with us."
Though Harry wrote that Kate seemed to like Meghan when they first met, he added that there were small frictions that began to form between them. He gave an incident where the princess "grimaced" when asked by Meghan if she could borrow some lip gloss before an event as evidence.
The prince wrote there was also tension when Kate thought Meghan wanted to use her fashion contacts. The duchess then said Kate had 'baby brain' after the birth of Prince Louis, and there was the bridesmaids dress debacle as relations broke down further.
For her part, Kate did not comment publicly about Harry's memoir or the claims made against her. The royal family overall adopted a "no comment" position about the book.
The last time Harry and Kate were photographed interacting with one another was in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022, before the release of the Sussexes' Netflix show and Harry's memoir.
Though the prince attended the coronation of King Charles in London in May, he did so without Meghan. Harry was not photographed interacting with either Kate or William who were sat in prominent seats during the historic ceremony.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more