Sliding across the ice and laughing as they tried their hands at curling, the Prince and Princess of Wales appeared not to have a care in the world as they joined Team GB athletes heading to the Winter Olympics next month.
The couple appeared relaxed and cheerful as they flew the flag for Britain during a day of official royal engagements in Scotland last week.
With Prince William’s brother, the Duke of Sussex, back in the UK for his court case against a newspaper publisher, the contrast between the estranged siblings could not have been starker, even though they were closer geographically than they have been in months.
William and Kate were in high spirits as they tried curling for the first time, joined a world-record attempt to create the world’s longest scarf and sat down for a drink with locals in the pub.
Meanwhile, an emotional Prince Harry was preparing to give evidence at the High Court the following day – an experience that left him close to tears as he accused the newspaper of making his wife Meghan’s life “an absolute misery”.
By the time he took the stand, William and Kate were just 25 miles away in Windsor, but the distance between the brothers was greater than ever.
“Yes, they were in the same country, but it’s like they’re worlds apart,” the royal author Robert Jobson tells HELLO!. “William and Kate are the embodiment of the future of the monarchy, while Harry looks trapped in the past.
“William is out there doing the job, serving, while Harry, back in court and nursing old wounds, is still fighting yesterday’s battles. The divide is now absolute and Harry’s distance from his family isn’t measured in miles anymore.”
The royal couple’s easy charm was certainly on display at the National Curling Academy in Stirling, where they were introduced to the sport and attempted to slide stones across the ice towards a target area.
Kate held William’s arm as she tentatively stepped on to the ice, hoisting up her wool Le Kilt skirt from Johnstons of Elgin and tucking her hair behind her ear. Despite losing her balance, she soon regained control and prepared to go head-to-head with her husband.
“No pressure, guys,” William said with a laugh. “You’re doing very well,” Kate told him.
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaceWilliam and Kate then moved on to Radical Weavers, a charity that aims to tackle social isolation and support people affected by trauma and loss by teaching them traditional Scottish tartan-weaving skills. Their final stop was at The Gothenburg pub in Fallin, a former mining village four miles east of Stirling.
Despite heading home to Windsor that evening, the Prince was no closer to reuniting with his brother.
Robert says: “Right now, William is focused on duty, Harry on grievance. William is building a future and he no longer needs Harry’s drama. You can’t bridge that gap when one brother is moving forward and the other won’t let go of the past and the bitterness.
“Reconciliation needs compromise, but it mostly needs trust, and there is no trust between the brothers.”
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