- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reunited with Prince William and Kate Middleton after the Queen's death.
- But royal expert Marlene Koenig said this doesn't mean there's been a reconciliation between them.
From the public to the press, everyone was shocked to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reunite with Prince William and Kate Middleton right after Queen Elizabeth II's death.
The two couples joined forces to view floral tributes during an impromptu walkabout outside of Windsor Castle on Saturday. As they strolled alongside each other before leaving in the same car, it seemed the once beloved "Fab Four" was finally back.
But royal expert Marlene Koenig told Insider she's not convinced that the brief reunion means things have changed between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
"I don't think there's been a reconciliation," Koenig said. "I'm sure it was insanely uncomfortable for all of them, especially when they got back in one car."
Koenig said she actually expected the couples to appear together, seeing as both William and Kate and Harry and Meghan have homes in Windsor Great Park. Meghan and Harry, who were in the UK for charity work before the Queen's death, are staying at their old residence, Frogmore Cottage, not far from where Kate and William recently moved to with their children.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson told The Times of London that it was William who extended the last-minute invitation to Harry and Meghan because he thought it was an "important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family." The couples reunited four days later when members of the royal family processed behind the Queen's coffin as it made its way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state before her funeral on Monday.
"They went out and did the flowers and they went back in one car — but that doesn't mean reconciliation at all," Koenig told Insider. "I think there's a lot of hurt on both sides, but that was a start."
If the Queen had died after Meghan and Harry had already returned to the US, Koenig said it's unlikely they would have been involved in the events leading up to her funeral.
"They certainly would have returned for the funeral, but it's unlikely they would have been here for the whole time," she added.
Tensions have reportedly been high between Prince Harry and his family since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from the royal family and moved to Montecito, California, two years ago.
Their relationship became more fraught after Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, during which they said members of the royal family made racist remarks about Archie and disregarded Meghan's mental-health issues. The couple also claimed Kate made Meghan cry during the week of her wedding and that Charles had stopped taking Harry's calls.
But Koenig said she hopes things will change now that Charles is king.
"Harry is now the younger son of the king, he's in a different situation, he doesn't have grandma anymore," Koenig said. "It's his father now, and that's going to be an entirely different ball game for him."
"But I'm hoping that there's reflection," she added. "That Harry now understands that his father is now in that position, and it's not an easy position."