LONDON — Princes William and Harry put their differences aside on Saturday afternoon to pay tribute to their late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and to greet members of the general public outside Windsor Castle.

The princes were accompanied by their wives, the Duchess of Cambridge, now Princess of Wales, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.

It was the primary time in greater than two years that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were pictured with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. On Friday, Prince William and his wife got their recent titles by King Charles III: they at the moment are generally known as the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The brothers and their wives got here together at Windsor Castle to pay tribute to the queen, who died aged 96 on Thursday.

It is a moment that many have been waiting for: The brothers’ relationship has been strained following Prince Harry’s and Meghan’s exit from royal life and move to California, and for the reason that couple publicly criticized members of the royal family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey last yr.

The 2 couples took time to shake hands and speak with well-wishers outside Windsor Castle. They gazed on the notes and flowers left in memory of the queen, who was the country’s longest-reigning monarch, and who marked 70 years on the throne earlier this yr.

Harry and Meghan arrived within the U.K. on Monday, where they attended the One Young World summit in Manchester, then flew to Dusseldorf, Germany, on Tuesday for the Invictus Games. Their short European tour ground to a halt following the queen’s death on Thursday.

At Balmoral, where the queen died, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew greeted members of the general public who were waiting outside the castle.

On Saturday afternoon the brand new Princess of Wales, and Meghan, each wore head-to-toe black as they emerged from the gates of Windsor Castle. Kate opted for a long-sleeved pencil dress paired with black tights and heels. Meghan wore a short-sleeved boat neck dress with matching black tights and shoes.

The last time the Sussexes were seen in public along with the Cambridges was on Commonwealth Day in 2020. On the time, Meghan wore an emerald green Emilia Wickstead dress, while Kate went for a deep red Catherine Walker number.

The family will probably be reunited again on the funeral of the queen at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19.

Black has been the royal uniform of mourning for hundreds of years. When Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria wore black until her death in 1901.

When Queen Elizabeth’s father King George VI died in 1952, she was on holiday in Kenya and immediately returned to the U.K., where she became a black dress as soon as she landed. Since then, it’s protocol for royals to travel with a black outfit.

For the funeral of the Duke of Windsor in 1972, Wallis Simpson asked Hubert de Givenchy to make her a mourning outfit, and he stayed up all night to complete the job. Simpson wore a black veil together with her black coat dress, while the queen and other family members wore black hats.