Prince William just gave a sweet nod to Prince Harry amidst their ongoing rift

It's well-known that Prince William and Prince Harry have had a strained relationship following the latter's decision to step back from his royal role and relocate to the US.

With tensions further exacerbated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which Harry said that his and William's relationship is one of "space at the moment", speculations of a royal rift between the Sussexes and the wider Royal Family continue to abound.

Careful to state that "time heals all things, hopefully", Harry told Oprah in the now-infamous sit-down interview: "My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that."

Prince Philip's private funeral just months later marked the first time that William and Harry were reunited following their reported fallout, with royal insiders claiming that the brothers spoke a handful of times during Harry's visit.

'At least two further conversations took place between the brothers during Harry’s eight-day trip, according to sources’, royal correspondents Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durant reported in their Duke and Duchess of Sussex biography Finding Freedom.

Harry and William then reunited once more this summer to unveil a commemorative statue of their mother, Princess Diana, in Kensington Palace’s sunken gardens on what would have been her 60th birthday.

William and Harry were photographed side by side on the poignant day, before releasing a joint statement that read, "Every day we wish she were still with us."

Following the statue's public unveiling ceremony, a further private reception was held at Kensington Palace to thank donors and friends last week, according to The Sun. Though originally scheduled to go ahead back in July, the reception was pushed back due to the pandemic.

And though Harry – who flew back to California shortly after the original statue unveiling – could not be there, it would seem that he was still very much in Prince William's thoughts.

According to the tabloid, William gave a speech on behalf of himself and his younger brother.

"It was very intimate and sweet," a source told the publication. "There was a real family feel as many of Diana’s 17 godchildren were also there.

"William made a brilliant speech saying thank you from him and Harry and how happy they both were with the statue.

"He mentioned Harry by name. The brothers are barely on speaking terms but it’s clear the Princess Di statue has done some good."