Diana statue is ‘trigger’ to reunite William & Harry & if ‘this poignant day doesn’t do it, nothing will’, say experts

THE unveiling of a statue dedicated to Princess Diana will "trigger" William and Harry to make amends with one another - and if it doesn't end their feud, nothing will, experts say.

ITV's royal editor Chris Ship says the brothers may at long last reconcile today after months of tension.

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They're set to meet face-to-face for the first time since their grandfather's funeral for the poignant ceremony today.

Their meeting at Kensington Palace's sunken garden - one of Diana's favourite places - comes on what would have been their beloved mother's 60th birthday.

It comes as:

• William and Harry ‘swapped texts about the Euros’ but ‘relations are still strained’ ahead of the ceremony, sources say
• An expert claims Harry felt 'silenced' by his father after the inquest into Diana's death
• The Duke of Sussex surprised poorly children at the WellChild Awards yesterday
• And he said baby Lilibet is ‘very chilled’ while Archie is ‘running around like crazy’ 
• It's thought he and his older brother may hash it out behind closed doors today before he returns to the US

Mr Ship told Good Morning Britain today: "It was actually a place Princess Diana did love to be.

"Kensington Palace was her home in the later years of her life, but all the focus today, clearly, is going to be on William and Harry."

He said the brothers have suffered a "very traumatic few months" - adding: "They've barely spoken."

However, they will likely be "putting their differences aside" for the day, Mr Ship said - and the event may even prompt them to reconcile.

Kate Garraway said: "You'd be hoping they would both be thinking how upset she'd be that there was a falling out between them and that might be just the trigger to start a conversation that gets things back on track."

If this poignant day doesn't do it, nothing will

Paul Burrell

Mr Ship replied: "I think a lot of people watching this, a lot of people who have been saddened by the fall-out between these two brothers who were once so very close, would hope today could be a trigger, a moment for them to start talking again."

Meanwhile, Diana's former butler Paul Burrell said if the feud doesn't end today, perhaps it never will. 

"If this poignant day doesn’t do it, nothing will," he said.

"If they stand in front of their mother’s image and think what she would have wanted, they will know the answer."

And talkRADIO's royal correspondent Rupert Bell told the station: "Maybe this statue is going to be a catalyst so the two brothers can actually hold a sensible conversation about life in general and remembering their mother."

But he said Harry faces an uphill battle to rebuild trust.

"Cearly what is at the heart of it is William, when he talks to his brother, doesn't want to find it megaphoned across America," he said.

"That is the trust Harry's got to rebuild with his brother... at the moment that's on very thin ground."

The ceremony will be treated as a "small, private, family event" - with just the brothers and some members of Diana's family in attendance.

And the guest list has been cut so drastically as a result of Covid rules that even Kate Middleton will remain at home.

It means William and Harry will meet without their 'peacemaker' - and just weeks after a series of explosive new revelations about their relationship.

Robert Lacey - the author of explosive book Battle of Brothers, which looks into the feud between the pair - said they even fought after Prince Philip's funeral.

The writer claims a pal told him: "There they were, at each other's throats as fiercely as ever.

"The rage and anger between those two has grown so incredibly deep. Too many harsh and wounding things have been said."

Kate's potential absence may well come as a blow to both brothers.

Harry is known to have been deeply fond of his sister-in-law before tensions between the Sussex and Cambridge households took over.

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward revealed the Duke believed Kate was the "big sister he'd never had".

Kate, for her part, enjoyed a great friendship with her brother-in-law that deepened when she had children with William.

Harry was a frequent guest at the couple's home and much-loved by his niece and nephews.

Seeming rifts between William, Kate and Harry began when Wills allegedly warned his younger brother against moving too fast with Meghan Markle.

According to biography Finding Freedom, William said: "Don't feel you need to rush this.

"Take as much as time as you need to get to know this girl."

The book's authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand said the phrase "this girl" immediately irritated Harry, who was "p***ed off" that his brother "would ask such a thing".

And the situation reportedly worsened drastically when Jason Knauf, who worked in communications for both the Cambridges and the Sussexes, submitted an official email in October 2018 alleging Meghan Markle had bullied staff.

Meghan fiercely denies the claims - and a spokesperson for her and Harry said she was the victim of a calculated smear campaign.

However William was said to be furious at the allegations - and eventually tensions grew so unbearable he split the Sussex and Cambridge households.