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What Prince Harry and Kate Middleton's surprise joint outing says about reported Prince William feud

Less than a week after brothers Prince Harry and Prince William seemingly ignored one another during the royal family's Easter Sunday church outing, expectant father Harry made a surprise appearance with William's wife, Kate.

The royal duo stepped out at Westminster Abbey on Thursday in honor of Anzac Day to honor the sacrifices of New Zealand and Australia's fallen soldiers. Harry and Kate were all smiles during the unexpected outing, which leads royal experts to believe that the reported division between the Sussexes and the Cambridges isn't as deep as some thought it to be.

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Five days earlier, on Sunday, Harry and William "did not speak to each other" while attending an Easter service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Harry married Meghan Markle (who is due "any day" now and did not attend the service) last May. While standing in a receiving line, the brothers were separated by three family members, including Kate.

The brothers' rather chilly public demeanor on Easter came after months of speculation that they're experiencing a rift at the moment, brought on by William reportedly "expressing his doubts" about Meghan because things "had moved very quickly between Harry and Meghan."

"Wills particularly was worried and felt close enough to Harry to voice his thoughts," a royal aide told the Daily Mail in December.

Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, who recently authored "Harry and Meghan: Life, Loss, and Love" about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, echoed those reports in a new interview with Fox News, saying that William only spoke up because he "is very protective of Harry."

SEE ALSO: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first child could be an American

"There has always been an unbreakable brotherly bond," she explained. "I’m not sure the relationship is what it used to be. But relationships evolve over time and I think theirs was always going to change when Harry married."

"I’m told from very reliable sources that the relationship has gone through challenging times since Harry started dating Meghan. I’m told that privately William was concerned about how quickly the relationship had moved," Nicholl went on. "William wanted to make sure that Harry was making the right decision. And I think what was intended as well-meaning, brotherly concern and a bit of advice went down quite badly with Harry, who felt that William wasn’t being as supportive as he might’ve been. So there has certainly been tensions between the brothers."

What will help their relationship, though, is the fact the the Sussexes and the Cambridges recently officially split their royal offices ahead of Harry and Meghan's move out of Kensington Palace, where William and Kate live with their three children, and into Frogmore Cottage at Windsor Castle.

It's that much-needed space in both their work and their living spaces that the brothers may have needed.

"Moving forward, with the benefit of not living on top of each other at Kensington Palace and with the infrastructure of having their own household, I think the relationship will go from strength to strength from now on," Nicholl explained. "I hope so because they’re not just two of the world’s most popular princes, they’re two of the world’s favorite brothers."

"I think William sees how happy Meghan makes Harry," she finished. "I think he’s quite impressed by Meghan, her work ethic, how quickly she’s adapted to royal life. Of course … the jury is still out. But actually, I think William has realized that Meghan is probably the best thing to happen to Harry. And their father, Charles, the Prince of Wales, thinks Meghan is wonderful."