THE Royal rift, the need to focus on Prince Philip’s funeral - and why we’re all missing a hug - were the issues raised by columnists and contributors in the newspapers.

The Daily Mail

Amanda Platell said there was hope that the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral would reunite Princes William and Harry, who once shared an ‘unbreakable bond.’

“Yet if I were William – who, let’s not forget will one day become the Supreme Governor of the Church of England – I would have to ask myself: Can I really find it in myself to forgive Harry’s betrayal? Are some wounds just too deep?,” she asked. “Harry knew he would be badly letting down his brother William – also father to a young family – increasing not just his burden of duty but also the sheer amount of public engagements he would have to carry out in Harry’s absence.”

She said she felt great sadness for William and Kate as they help to plan the Duke’s funeral.

“On top of all that, they will have to greet and smile at the brother who, with his wife, turned his back on that path and caused them so much pain.

“Funerals are supposed to bring families together but, as many of us know, they can often rip them apart. Such sadness exacerbates pains inflicted, imagined or real.”

The Daily Express

Ann Widdecombe said the focus should be on the Duke’s funeral and not commentary about the divide between the two princes.

“I fear an army of body language experts and lip-readers will be on hand to interpret the smallest interaction between them,” she said. “It will impose another unnecessary strain for them all at an already difficult time.”

She said Harry - a ‘self-indulgent ex-Royal’ did damage enough to his family and country and ‘piled pressure on the Queen when the Duke was in hospital with his last illness.’

“He now needs to prove he can exercise discretion and consideration for others and that he can persuade his wife to do the same. Until then let the speculation cease.”

The Guardian

Susannah Walker, a reader in behavioural neuroscience at Liverpool John Moores University, said hugs had been ranked fourth on a list of 30 things people most missed during the pandemic.

“Humans are born helpless; from birth we are reliant on others to feed us, keep us warm and comfort us when we are distressed,” she said. “Like all mammals, we are innately predisposed to seek physical contact to ensure our own survival.

“We have had to inhibit our natural instincts, programmed over millions of years of evolution, to use touch to calm, soothe and show we care. Released from lockdown restrictions, we’ll rapidly start displaying the behaviours that we’re predisposed to share. Though perhaps we will now appreciate them a little bit more.”