William and Harry ‘should end friction now’, says Sir John Major

media captionSir John Major: “I hope it’s possible to mend any rifts”

Shared grief over the death of the Duke of Edinburgh is an “ideal opportunity” to mend any rifts within the Royal Family, ex-PM Sir John Major said.

Sir John, who was guardian to Princes William and Harry following their mother’s death, said he hoped it would end any “friction” between the pair.

He also said the Queen needed time to grieve for her husband.

Princes William and Harry are both due to attend the duke’s funeral on Saturday.

His comments came after Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, suggested coming together for Philip’s funeral could help heal any tensions.

The Duke of Sussex will fly from the US for the service on Saturday without his wife, Meghan Markle, who is pregnant and has to remain at home in California on doctor’s orders.

The Prince of Wales and members of the Royal Family will walk behind the coffin ahead of the funeral at Windsor Castle.

Sir John, who was appointed a special guardian to the princes after their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in 1997, told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “The friction that we are told has arisen is a friction better ended as speedily as possible.”

He added: “They shared emotion. They share grief at the present time because of the death of their grandfather. I think [this] is an ideal opportunity.

“I hope very much that it is possible to mend any rifts that may exist.”

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Harry and Meghan, who have stepped back from frontline royal duties, gave an interview to US broadcaster Oprah Winfrey last month.

In it, Harry said of his dealings with his older brother: “The relationship is ‘space’ at the moment. And time heals all things, hopefully.”

Sir John also told Andrew Marr the Duke of Edinburgh would “still be there in [the Queen’s] memory” and that she would “hear his voice”.

Being head of state was a “lonely position in many ways” for the Queen, and the duke was “the person to whom she could unburden herself”, he added.

A period of national mourning will end after 17 April, when Prince Philip’s funeral takes place at Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel.

A national minute’s silence will be held to coincide with the start of the service at 15:00 BST.

Prince Philip died, aged 99, on Friday.