Princes William and Harry join Kate and Meghan to greet wellwishers outside Windsor Castle following Queen's death
Prince William and Prince Harry have made their first public appearances since the death of the Queen, joining their wives Catherine and Meghan to greet wellwishers outside Windsor Castle.
Key points:
- Prince William has pledged his support to King Charles and paid tribute to the "extraordinary" Queen
- Earlier, the Queen's youngest children and their families thanked mourners outside Balmoral Castle
- It is the first time Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne have been seen in public since the Queen's death
It also is the first time the two couples have been seen together since Prince Harry and Meghan's highly publicised withdrawal from royal life after a series of controversies.
The couples were driven down from the castle to the castle gates at the start of the Long Walk, before disembarking two four-wheel drives and walking together to view tributes to the late Queen.
Crowds initially cheered their appearance before a hush fell over them, while family read notes and looked at flowers left at the gates.
The appearance came shortly after a statement released by Prince William pledging his support to King Charles "in every way I can" and hailing "our extraordinary Queen".
Earlier on Saturday was the first public appearance of the Queen's youngest children – Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – who also thanked well-wishers outside Balmoral Castle.
But it was the public display of unity between the two brothers and their spouses outside Windsor Castle that will surprise many.
The two couples then turned to the crowd, who in turn erupted in cheers for them, as they moved over to speak to those lined along barriers.
William and Kate took to one side of the Long Walk, while Harry and Meghan took the other, receiving flowers and shaking hands.
Prince William was heard telling someone in the crowd that the days following his grandmother's death had been "surreal".
"We all thought she was invincible
A spokesman for the Prince of Wales said he had invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join him and Kate as they viewed the flowers and spoke to wellwishers.
William pledges to support King, hails Queen
," he said, according to Reuters.
After about 40 minutes speaking with members of the public, the two couples then left in the same car, which was driven by William
Shortly before his appearance, the Prince of Wales released a heartfelt written tribute to his grandmother, saying he was "incredibly grateful" to have had the Queen's wisdom and reassurance.
"On Thursday, the world lost an extraordinary leader, whose commitment to the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth was absolute," he said in a statement released by Kensington Palace.
"So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign.