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Suppose a unitary matrix $U$ is symmetric under ordinary transpose, and write its entrywise real and imaginary parts as $A$ and $B$. They are real symmetric matrices. Expanding $U^{†}U=I$ gives $A^2+B^2+i(AB-BA)=I$, proving the displayed identities. Commuting real symmetric matrices admit simultaneous diagonalization: diagonalize $A$, then diagonalize the restriction of $B$ to each invariant eigenspace of $A$. A common real orthonormal eigenbasis givesIf $A$ has simple eigenvalues, every eigenvector of $A$ is already an eigenvector of $B$, because its one-dimensional eigenspace is invariant. The eigenvalues of $A$ and $B$ are paired as the real and imaginary parts of the same eigenvalue of $U$.

Suppose $D$ has $n$ distinct eigenvalues over a field and $C$ commutes with $D$. Each eigenspace of $D$ is one-dimensional. Since commuting maps preserve eigenspaces, $C$ acts as a scalar on each of them. The eigenvectors of $D$ give a common eigenbasis and hence simultaneous diagonalization. For real matrices, the result gives a real eigenbasis only if the eigenvalues of $D$ are real; otherwise it applies over $\mathbb{C}$.