Why Prince William Really Invited Meghan Markle to That Walkabout, According to Royal Photographer

The former royal Fab Four’s surprise appearance together on Saturday sparked a flurry of coverage about how it all came together, given brothers Prince William and Prince Harry’s strained relationship. Kensington Palace ultimately revealed that William invited Meghan Markle and Harry to join him and Kate Middleton, per People. A royal source added to the outlet that William thought the walkabout “was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.”

Hello! reports that longtime royal photographer Arthur Edwards shared additional insight into why William invited Meghan during an interview with Piers Morgan. Edwards revealed it was about optics too, as well as helping to ensure the focus stays on Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy and the new King Charles III amid the tense relationship between the royal family and Harry and Meghan.

“When the Prince [Charles] said he loved Harry and Meghan in his speech that shook me as well. Then when Meghan got out the car, I was amazed,” Edwards said. “But obviously William has got to do something about it. He spoke to his brother and said, ‘Let’s make a combined effort here.’”

“They did it because if Meghan had turned up for the funeral on Monday all the papers would be talking about Meghan and the King does not want that,” Edwards added. “He wants it all about The Queen and nothing else. No distractions. Whether they will get back together who knows, there is a big rift between the brothers.”

Meghan and Harry were vocal about being close to the Queen. As for the other royals, Meghan addressed the state of affairs between them briefly in her interview with The Cut, published at the end of August.

“I can talk about my whole experience [as a working royal] and make a choice not to,” she said, adding she hasn’t yet because she’s “still healing.”

As for her relationship with the royal family, “I think forgiveness is really important,” she said. “It takes a lot more energy to not forgive. But it takes a lot of effort to forgive. I’ve really made an active effort, especially knowing that I can say anything.” She then went quiet, ultimately saying, “I have a lot to say until I don’t. Do you like that? Sometimes, as they say, the silent part is still part of the song.”

A source told Entertainment Tonight that the family wasn’t all too happy about that interview or Meghan’s discussing her experiences as a duchess on her Archetypes Spotify podcast, which is not releasing new episodes this week or next in light of the Queen’s death. The source said, the “royal family is disappointed by Meghan Markle’s latest comments in The Cut magazine and on her podcast. They are distressed that after stepping back from the royal family—claiming a need for privacy—she continues to publicize family matters in public.”