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Prince William's interaction with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry during a rare joint appearance following the duke and duchess' split from the monarchy has become the focus of a new viral video, as footage captured after Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022 has resurfaced on TikTok.
Tensions within the royal family have become the subject of increased speculation and social-media discourse in the years since Harry and Meghan stepped away from the monarchy in 2020 and moved to the U.S.
In interviews and documentaries and media projects, the Sussexes have put their side of events over what influenced their royal split into the public domain. This included tensions with both William and his wife, Kate the Princess of Wales.
After March 2020, when Harry and Meghan fulfilled their final working duties with the royals in Britain, they were not seen in public with William and Kate again until family tragedy brought them together in September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Harry and Meghan were in Britain at the time of the queen's death, attending charity events. Two days after the monarch's passing was announced, the couple made a surprise appearance alongside their estranged in-laws outside Windsor Castle, Berkshire.
Uploaded to TikTok by user @royalfamilyslife on February 8, footage of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan emerging from a black car at the gates of Windsor Castle to view floral tributes left to the queen has gone viral.
Highlighted is a gesture offered by William to sister-in-law, Meghan, to whom he holds his arm out as he introduces her to a castle official.
The royal quartet, once dubbed by the media the "fab four," walked through crowds who had gathered to pay their respects. The walkabout was broadcast live on news channels in Britain, with many commentators noting the development came over a year after Harry and Meghan's bombshell TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.
In the interview, the couple made a number of references to William and Kate, including Meghan's claim that, contrary to reports that suggested the opposite, it had been Kate who made her cry before her wedding in an altercation over bridesmaids' dresses.
The viral clip, captioned "Miss this" and showing all four royals dressed in mourning black for the late queen, has been viewed over 481,000 times on the social-media site so far. It has received more than 4,500 likes and over 100 comments, many of which have commented on the nature of the royals' relationships.
"See, William can't be all bad, reached out for Meghan to introduce her. Wish they'd make up," wrote one user.
"Look how Harry put his arm around his wife ....... a man who is present," posted another, with a further comment reading: "Prince William and Princess Catherine have integrity honesty dignity and grace.. Love them."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly 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