Prince Philip was not just a grandfather to Prince William and Prince Harry as he also helped in preparing the Duke of Cambridge's future role as the monarch of Great Britain.
According to royal historian Robert Lacey, Philip had the idea for Queen Elizabeth to take out William to lunches and afternoon tea when he was just a child. The Duke of Edinburgh was hoping that his wife, the queen, would begin to talk business with their young grandson even then, as William has a very important role in the line of succession.
But Lacey said Prince Philip never included himself in these meetings between Queen Elizabeth and William because he didn't want to interfere with his wife's job. While the monarch had her lunches and tea times, Philip would sometimes take Harry to fun outdoor activities.
According to royal expert Penny Juror, Harry grew into a much more relaxed person because of his grandfather's influence. However, both princes also developed their sense of service because of Philip's example. Suffice to say, the Duke of Edinburgh was such a significant person in both princes' lives but in different ways.
This was evident in the separate statements the brothers released when their grandfather passed away. The tone of William's tribute to his grandfather was more in line with his future role as the king as he focused on duty, while Harry was more about the bond they shared.
Meanwhile, despite the brothers' rift, body language expert Elaine Swann said that Harry did his best to be cordial to his brother when they met face-to-face during Philip's funeral and made the first move. It was the first time Harry and William saw each other after one year.
Swann said that William was also open and welcoming to Harry, indicating signs that he was also willing to resolve their personal issues. It was clear from their interaction, as many viewers saw during the live feeds, that the two siblings were "pulling it together" and putting a united front for their grandfather, who died at the age of 99 years old.
It comes amid reports that the Duke of Edinburgh was likely prevented from watching Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey in early March when he was still at the hospital. Royal expert Russell Myers said the interview would have been bad for the duke's fragile state and heart condition, especially after Myers was told Prince Philip thought the idea of sitting down with Winfrey was "complete madness."
