Harry & Kate's SECRET MEETING

The prince’s fleeting trip to the UK was a chance to build bridges

Getting the Duke of Sussex home from California for his grandfather’s funeral in the face of a toxic family rift was one of the toughest tasks palace staff have had to deal with.

Indeed, British press reports allege that even Princess Anne and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, refused to speak to the exiled former royal during the late Prince Philip’s ceremony.

But everyone from the footmen to the Queen learned a valuable lesson in diplomacy when the Duchess of Cambridge managed to do what no one else could, and delicately engineered a face-to-face chat between Prince Harry and Prince William, 38, on the steps of St George’s Chapel.

The informal chat between the Wales boys and Kate, 39, appeared to go so well that the brothers even broke off alone as they strolled back to Windsor Castle, with the duchess subtly falling behind.