Prince Harry to return to UK on eve of anniversary of late Queen's death
ITV News' Royal Editor Chris Ship has the latest on Prince Harry's return to the UK
Prince Harry will be back in the UK on the eve of the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death.
It’s been announced that the Duke of Sussex will be in London to attend an award ceremony for a children’s charity he has been patron of for 15 years.
The WellChild Awards are taking place on Thursday 7 September, just one day before the Royal Family marks the first anniversary of the passing of the late Queen.
It is not known if the Duchess of Sussex will be with him for the event, although they are both expected in Germany immediately afterwards for the start of the Invictus Games.
The tournament for injured and sick military veterans, founded by Prince Harry, is taking place in Düsseldorf from 8 to 16 September and, just as he did at last year’s Invictus Games in The Hague, Harry is expected to be there all week.
The Royal Family is not planning to hold any public events to mark the death of the late Monarch and will spend the day privately on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire where she died.
It means it’s highly unlikely Harry will see his father King Charles, or his brother Prince William, whilst he is in the UK.
The King and Queen Camilla are currently at Balmoral Castle where they are staying throughout August and early September for their summer break just as Queen Elizabeth used to do every summer.
Other members of the Royal Family are also staying on the Aberdeenshire estate this week.
Relations between Harry his family have not recovered since the publication of the Duke’s memoirs, ‘Spare’, in January and the release of the Sussexes’ Netflix series late last year which focused on their exit from the Royal family.
The King and the Prince of Wales have barely spoken to Harry and Meghan since their acrimonious departure from the Royal Family in 2020 when they moved to California.
The WellChild charity said Prince Harry will attend the annual awards ceremony where they celebrate children and young people living with serious illness and those who care for them.
In a statement, the Duke of Sussex said: “The courage and strength embodied by these young people – and the tireless devotion of those who support them – never cease to inspire me. I’m honoured to attend this year’s awards ceremony and celebrate their incredible work.”
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