Guillermo, Kate, Enrique and Meghan, together for the first time after two and a half years

Two years, six months and one day.

That is the time that has passed since William and Kate, brand new princes of Wales, were not seen in a public act with Enrique, the brother of the heir, and Meghan Markle, his wife.

A long gap of more than 30 months that has only managed to break the death of Elizabeth II of England, the grandmother of the two brothers, always close, intimate since the death of their mother and completely separated from each other since the departure of Enrique and his family to the US in March 2020.

The Princes of Wales and the Dukes of Sussex have given the surprise and have starred in the most unexpected image of the day, in a gesture that gives wings to a possible reconciliation.

Guillermo, the heir to the British throne, attended the act of proclamation of his father, Carlos III, as king on Saturday morning.

In the afternoon, out of all agenda and programming, he arrived at Windsor.

After five in the afternoon (one more hour in mainland Spain) a large black car stopped at the gates of Windsor Castle.

Guillermo got out of it, who was driving it, and his wife, Kate, from the passenger seat.

The surprise came when Enrique and Markle descended from the back seats.

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William, Prince of Wales waves to the crowd at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022. ANDREW COULDRIDGE (REUTERS)

(the fantastic four) in the United Kingdom

, walked together to the castle gates to walk among the hundreds of bouquets, notes and memories that citizens had left at the gates of the queen's residence.

In fact, very close to her own residences.

When they are in the UK, Harry and Meghan stay in the 10-bedroom house they renovated, Frogmore Cottage, while William and Catherine have just moved into Adelaide Cottage, just 120 meters away.

Dressed in rigorous mourning, the brothers (who have been seen chatting with each other discreetly, without smiles or gestures) and the sisters-in-law have greeted the crowd, walked through the area and read some of the written messages.

As explained by a spokesman for William after the visit, and according to

, it was the new Prince of Wales who invited his brother and his sister-in-law to join him and Kate to thank the citizens for their gestures of affection. .

The Dukes of Sussex, Enrique and Meghan, appreciate the displays of affection during their walk through Windsor. ANDREW COULDRIDGE (REUTERS)

The reunion of the four brothers in a public event has been a sensation, both for those present and for the British press.

The last time they coincided in the same space and publicly was in June, at the mass for the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II, but they entered and left the cathedral of San Pablo at different times, and once inside they sat on opposite wings.

They could not be photographed together.

The last snapshot of the four, where there were already tense gestures and where Harry and Meghan walked and sat behind the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, was at a Commonwealth Day church service on March 9, 2020, which was also his last public act in the UK.

To be able to see the four together, at the same level and chatting in a friendly way, you have to go back a year,

On March 9, 2020, the last public act took place in which the then Dukes of Cambridge and the Dukes of Sussex could be seen together. Phil Harris (AP)

The brothers had already coincided after the death of Elizabeth II.

Although Harry lives in California, this week he was in Europe for various events in London, Manchester, where Meghan gave a speech on Monday, and Dusseldorf, Germany, so he was able to rush to Balmoral to be with his father and his wife. brother.

He arrived on Thursday late afternoon, when the death of the monarch had already been announced, and left very early on Friday.

Guillermo's gesture towards Enrique, inviting him to this walk, allowing themselves to be seen together in an informal first act, seems like a small approach to be able to close the open wound between the brothers.

The abandonment of the royal family by the youngest of the children of Carlos III and the late Princess Diana deeply impacted the firstborn, who did not understand that decision.

The multiple interviews granted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also weigh in on their distance, where they have revealed family intimacies, but especially the one they gave to Oprah Winfrey shortly after settling in the US, in which they accused the royal family of being racist. and in which Markle stated that she had thought about committing suicide.

Until now, coldness and distance had prevailed between the brothers.

Neither the birth of Lilibet, the second daughter of Enrique and Meghan (already in California), in June 2021;

nor the inauguration of a statue of Diana for her 60th anniversary a month later, to which the two brothers attended and posed together for a few minutes;

nor the acts for the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II, where they barely coincided and where, according to the tabloids, they did not see each other in private either.

Nothing had managed to bring the brothers' positions in the least closer.

Now, with the death of Isabel II, Guillermo will take on a more institutional role, a greater weight, and he will have to make it clear with his brother what role this will have.

In addition, there is also the position of Enrique as the son of the new Carlos III.

Already become king, Carlos has the power to decide if he grants Archie and Lilibet, the children of Enrique, the title of princes, something that his son has always demanded.

To begin with, on Friday, in his first speech as monarch, he expressed his "love for Harry and Meghan, who continue their lives across the sea."

The distance between England and California is still great, but perhaps that of Enrique and Guillermo will, little by little, shrink.