Prince Harry Shows How Dedicated He Is To Maintaining Family Ties After His Low-Key UK Visit

Prince Harry has taken yet another step toward maintaining his family ties in the U.K. After the late Princess Diana’s brother-in-law, Lord Robert Fellowes, passed away, the Duke of Sussex showed his loyalty to the Spencer family. The unpublicized visit overseas wasn’t discovered until 24 hours after the funeral took place as reported by The U.S. Sun.

The trip was surprising because The Daily Beast shared on Aug. 13 that Harry was “very sad” to miss his uncle’s funeral. They revealed that there were a “multitude of reasons” why he would not be making the trip, including the ongoing security issues. “It’s just all very sad. The idea that he wouldn’t be there to support Jane in her grief would have been unimaginable a few years ago,” a source told the media outlet. Well, that information turned out to be false as Harry showed that his U.K. family is just as important as his U.S. family.

It was Harry’s way of thanking the Spencers for being supportive of his 10-anniversary celebration of the Invictus Games in May. Princess Diana‘s brother, Charles Spencer, and sister Jane Fellowes, who was married to the late Lord Robert Fellowes, showed up to the event at St. Paul’s Cathedral. While the Duke of Sussex remains close to the Spencer family, Harry and Prince William, who was also in attendance, have not healed their rift.

While the feuding brothers both “discreetly” attended the service by sitting in the back of the church, they reportedly did not cross paths, according to The U.S. Sun. Several sources confirmed their presence, but one insider added, “William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.” This wasn’t the time for them to hash out their differences, and it seemed that even a cordial greeting was not in the cards.

It does appear that reconciliation is at the forefront of Prince Harry’s mind, though. His upcoming paperback release of Spare on Oct. 22 will not feature any updated chapters or a press tour. “The new edition will have the same cover image as the hardcover edition, a newly designed package and the contents of the book are unchanged,” publisher Penguin Random House said in a statement. While William and Harry don’t seem to be in a healing stage, the Duke of Sussex is continuing to extend an olive branch to the U.K. side of his family.

Click here to see a complete timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s feud with the royal family.