Prince William and Prince Harry did not speak to each other as they walked out of church separately after the memorial service for their uncle Lord Fellowes.
The vicar who conducted the service confirmed that the warring royal brothers walked ‘a few people apart’ as they left 14th century St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk.
The Reverend Dan Tansey, its vicar, admitted he was surprised to see both William and Harry at the service which was attended by around 300 people yesterday.
He told today: ‘The memorial service was yesterday. The private funeral took place earlier in the week with just [close] family.’
Describing the appearance of the estranged siblings, Reverend Tansey said: ‘Yes, it was quite a surprise to me.’
The vicar also said he did not recall Harry and William speaking to each other at a reception after the service, but said there were a ‘lot of family members and friends speaking to them’.
Asked if Harry and William were sitting near each other in the church, he added: ‘I don’t know because I was in the vestry.
‘When I came out to start the service, they had arrived, but I didn’t even know they were there until after the service when I was meeting people on the way out.
‘They came out and shook my hand, and said hello. I couldn’t see where they were sat in the church.
‘I was just greeting one person at a time as they came out. They came out a few people apart.’
Describing the service, he said: ‘I am at the front of the church with my glasses on and I can see the front row, and that’s about it.’
Reverend Tansey continued: ‘I had been preparing for a good half hour beforehand, so I didn’t see anyone coming through the front door.
‘It was a lovely service and people wanted to be there for someone who was really well-respected in Snettisham.
‘It was only as I was thanking the congregation as they left that Prince William was shaking my hand, and then very quickly after that, so did Prince Harry.
‘It was a surprise but a really pleasant one that they had both come, but maybe less shocking that William was there.
‘On the way out, they both said thank you for the service and I thanked them for coming. At the reception afterwards, there was a very relaxed and cordial atmosphere.
‘I don’t recollect them speaking to each other but there were a lot of family members and friends speaking to them.
‘It would have meant a lot to Lord Fellowes to have them both at the service. He loved them both very much.’
Reverend Tansey said a potentially more formal celebration of Lord Fellowes’s life was still being considered to take place in London at a later date.
Married to the late Princess Diana’s sister, Lady Jane, he was also a long-time Buckingham Palace courtier who worked for the late Queen Elizabeth II for 22 years until 1999.
It was a period which covered both the break-down of his sister-in-law’s marriage to the then Prince Charles and her tragic death in 1997.
Reverend Tansey said of a future service: ‘I believe it is still on the cards, but because I am only the parish vicar locally, I wouldn’t be involved in anything in London.
‘The last I heard it was still on the cards to have some kind of formal memorial. Whether it would be at the Lords or something, I really don’t know.
‘As far as I understand it is still a plan. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful. I have to think of their privacy.’
Describing the turnout at the memorial service however, he added: ‘It was a full house and it’s a fair-sized church. It was around about 300 people. There was a lot of family and friends. It was by invitation as far as I understand.’
Reverend Tansey admitted he had not been told in advance that both princes were going to the service.
He said: ‘Thankfully, I had not been informed so I wasn’t able to say anything to people who kept asking me about it. I was in blissful ignorance.’
Reverend Tansey added: ‘It was wonderful that the princes could both be there to support their aunt and cousins.’
And a church warden, who declined to be named, told : ‘It was wonderful that both Princes were able to attend their uncle’s memorial service yesterday at St Mary’s Church.
‘The service was a lovely family occasion celebrating the life of such a special man. Many friends were also present and also many members of the St Mary’s Church family.’
Yesterday it emerged that despite his PR team previously guiding members of the media that he did not plan to return to the UK for events to mark his uncle’s death, citing ongoing ‘security’ fears, Harry flew out of the US on Tuesday and slipped into the UK without fanfare.
He then travelled to Norfolk to attend the family memorial.
Harry’s spokesman failed to response to a request for comment about his attendance.
Kensington Palace declined to comment on behalf of William, citing it as a private matter.