William and Harry to address Diana’s memorial event in London tonight

Prince Harry is set to appear by video call at a memorial event for Princess Diana in London today that is also being attended by Prince William. The brothers will make a rare joint appearance at the Diana Legacy Award event at the Science Museum in London tonight, however neither will be in the room at the same time, even virtually.

William is expected to give a speech in person to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary and present awards to 20 recipients. The Prince of Wales will appear at the awards event alone as his wife Kate is still recovering from abdominal surgery.

Harry, who lives in California , will then join a video call with the winners, according to reports. However, his involvement will only take place after his brother has left the ceremony. The brothers’ reluctance to acknowledge each other’s presence at the event lays bare the depth of their feud as before their falling out they often appeared together in person to pose with the award winners.

The Diana Award is a charity set up to reflect the Princess of Wales’ belief that young people have the power to change the world. The charity runs anti-bullying and mentoring programmes and recognises young people’s inspirational work. Dr Tessy Ojo, chief executive of the Diana Award, told The Times : ‘It’s a privilege to have the support of both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex — particularly as we mark our 25th anniversary year.’

While a spokesman for the award told The Telegraph that Harry will be a ‘key part’ of the celebration. ‘He is scheduled to speak with the award recipients, virtually, on the evening of the awards to celebrate their accomplishments,’ he said. A Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘The Prince [of Wales] will meet key staff and supporters of the Diana Award, before joining the ceremony where he will hear about the recipients’ work, make a short speech and present Legacy Awards to this year’s winners.’

The legacy award was introduced by The Diana Award in 2017 to celebrate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, on the 20th anniversary of her death. For most of their lives, the royal brothers have been close, united by the shared trauma of losing their mother who died aged 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash when William was 15 and Harry was 12. But since Harry’s 2018 wedding to his wife Meghan Markle, relations between them have soured.

An explosive interview that the couple gave chat show host Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 marked a new low, while anecdotes about their relationship in Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, which was released last year, also saw them grow further apart. 

It comes as Prince William’s wife Kate is understood to be recovering well after undergoing a major abdominal surgery in January. However, earlier this week she has been the subject of intense speculation and conspiracy theories in recent weeks – and found herself in a social media storm after after admitting to editing a Mother’s Day family photograph. Eagle-eyed social media users pointed out a plethora of issues with the image – and shortly after it was pulled by photo agencies.

Then, the Princess posted an apology for the confusion caused, admitting she had tweaked the family photo. Just hours after her apology, Kate was pictured alongside her husband leaving Windsor Castle as he headed to Westminster Abbey or the annual Commonwealth Day service. But rather than an extraordinary return to royal duties, MailOnline understands that Kate was heading to a private appointment instead.

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