Prince William "may never" reconcile with estranged brother Prince Harry after a "frosty" reunion in the UK this week, it has been claimed.
The Duke of Sussex secretly returned to Britain as he attended the funeral of his uncle Lord Robert Fellowes in Norfolk on Wednesday.
According to locals in the town of Snettisham where the funeral was held, William and Harry "kept their distance" and "did not speak to each other".
The relationship between the brothers fell foul in 2020 when Harry and wife Meghan stepped down as working royals, and has grown even more distant since.
Michael Cole predicts Prince William 'may never reconcile' with brother Prince Harry
PA / GB News
Discussing the funeral on GB News, former BBC Royal Correspondent Michael Cole claimed the meeting of the brothers was "in no stretch of the imagination" a reunion, due to their "invisible" interaction with each other.
Cole said: "For the first time in nearly a year, the two princes were in the same room together in the church, apparently sitting discreetly apart at the back.
"There was no interaction - to say it was minimal, it wasn't minimal, it was invisible - frosty with absolutely no warmth at all."
Highlighting the upcoming re-release of Prince Harry's controversial memoir Spare without any updated content, host Dawn Neesom questioned whether the decision was an attempt to send an "olive branch" to the Royal Family.
The Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex both attended the funeral of their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes in Norfolk
Getty
Cole told GB News: "I think this is another thorn in the side of the Royal Family, the paperback is coming out. But it hasn't been updated with any new chapters, so maybe that's some sort of peace offering.
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"Or perhaps he's feeling a little bit embarrassed by it. That's one of the bones of contention that lies between them, it caused an awful lot of trouble. It was very unkind to the present king, and of course William and the Princess of Wales.
"All those tales from inside the household which should normally have been kept well within there. And that is of course the nub of the angst that Prince William quite clearly has with his brother."
When asked if he believes Harry and William will ever reconcile in the future, Cole cast doubt on the suggestion and claimed it could be a "very long time" before we see the royal siblings on good terms again.
Cole explained: "At the moment, they were in the same building but they were still a country mile apart. It's going take a very long time.
Michael Cole says Prince Harry's memoir Spare is a 'thorn in the side' for the Royal Family
GB News
"And if it is to be bridged in any way whatsoever, there's going to have to be a lot of fence mending and fencing, in fact, to go around the whole 20,000 acres of the Sandringham estate.
"It's going to take a long time. And quite frankly, I can't see it happening, maybe never."
Cole concluded: "I think the fact that the prince came back for the funeral, he must have felt some pangs of the old life he lived. He knows the Sandringham estate very well, he had lots of friends up there, loved the shooting, loved everything about this country.
"And the fact is that he lives 5000 miles away, so I'm sure that sometimes it gives him a twinge of nostalgia."