Kate expected to help ease tensions between William and Harry at Prince Philip's funeral

The Duchess of Cambridge could act as peacemaker between her husband and Prince Harry at the funeral of Prince Philip on Saturday.

Kate is keen to see tensions between Prince William and Harry ease after more than a year and hopes the sad occasion will see them come together and put their differences aside.

A source told the Telegraph UK: "Being so close to her own siblings, Pippa and James, and having witnessed first-hand the special bond between William and Harry, she has found the whole situation difficult and upsetting."

The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral on April 17 is expected to be the first time Prince Harry and Prince William will have seen each other, face to face, in more than a year.

Harry left the UK in early March, 2020, for North America, later buying a home in California with wife Meghan and their son Archie.

He has returned to England for the funeral.

But it's believed he has spoken to William over the phone since arriving back in the UK, where he is undergoing five days quarantine under the government's COVID-19 rules.

Harry is in self-isolation at Frogmore Cottage, which he still retains, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

He is allowed to leave quarantine after five days on "compassionate" grounds for the funeral and the earliest this would be is Saturday.

But it's likely he'll have to return to quarantine for a further five days, to meet the 10-day requirement.

READ MORE: Why Prince Philip's death is a loss for not only the Queen but the world: His remarkable legacy as the People's Prince

The funeral, which will begin at 3pm, will be the first time Harry has seen his brother and father, Prince Charles, since describing them as being "trapped" in the monarchy during his and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey.

He and Meghan also accused an unnamed member of the royal family of making racist comments about Archie's skin colour, later clarifying it was not the Queen or Prince Philip.

Yesterday William and Harry issued separate statements within 30 minutes of each other, paying tribute to their "grandpa" who died on April 9.

Sources close to the brothers say the funeral will be about celebrating Prince Philip's life and legacy.

"It is about honouring their grandfather's memory and supporting their grandmother," adding "they will be keen to spend time together as a family".

But royal historian Robert Lacey, who acts as consultant to The Crown, does not believe a reconciliation between William and Harry will happen at the funeral.

"People are talking about reconciliation but I think that's wrong, what we are going to be seeing is a focus on the event. Those two brothers will want to show their devotion, their sorrow, at the passing of their grandfather, just as in July when they gather to unveil a statue of in their mother's honour," he told Today.

"When it comes to reconciliation, building some sort of relationship for the future, I don't think that we can expect that to happen at a funeral.

"That is going to take quite a bit of time to heal."

Kate is likely to help ease any tensions between William and Harry and is believed to have told friends she was "hopeful of a reconciliation" even before Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah.

Kate has long been close to Harry, who described her as the "big sister I never had" soon after she and William became engaged in 2010.

But the Duchess of Cambridge was mentioned several times in that Oprah interview with Meghan saying it was Kate who made her cry during a fitting for bridesmaids' dresses ahead of the royal wedding in 2018.

Meghan questioned why Kate didn't clear up media reports at the time which suggested it was Meghan who made her cry but added the Duchess of Cambridge had "owned it and apologised" by sending her a note and flowers.