Prince Harry to return to London – but he’s unlikely to see King Charles (original) (raw)

The Duke of Sussex will return to the UK to attend the WellChild Awards on Sep 30.

He will fly to London for the fourth time this year to present an award and deliver a speech at the annual ceremony, which honours seriously ill children.

However, it is thought unlikely that he will see King Charles, who will be addressing the Scottish Parliament. The monarch will speak at Holyrood’s 25th anniversary celebration on Sep 28, and is expected to remain in Scotland for a few days after the event.

The Duke has been a patron of WellChild, which supports sick children and their families, since 2007, and makes a point of attending its annual award ceremony to meet the young recipients backstage. He will present the award for inspirational child, aged four to six, at this year’s ceremony.

He said: “I am once again honoured to attend this year’s WellChild Awards, celebrating the remarkable courage and achievements of children living with complex medical needs.

“These incredible young people, along with the dedicated caregivers, nurses, and professionals who tirelessly support them, inspire us all. It is a true privilege to recognise such extraordinary individuals.”

In his memoir Spare, the Duke described the event as “always gutting”. He became emotional at the 2019 awards when attempting to deliver his speech, and later revealed that “gratitude and sympathy converged” after he caught sight of his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, in the front row and thought of their son Archie.

The Duke is last thought to have seen his father in February when he flew from the US for a brief visit shortly after Buckingham Palace announced that the King had been diagnosed with cancer.

The pair spent no more than around 40 minutes together at Clarence House. They did not meet when the Duke returned to London in May, despite him being invited to stay at Buckingham Palace.

He opted to stay at a hotel instead, with sources citing security concerns because of the public entrances and exits at the palace.

In August, the Duke made an unannounced visit to attend the funeral of his maternal uncle, Lord Fellowes, in Norfolk, and stayed with his late mother’s brother, Earl Spencer, at his ancestral seat in Northamptonshire, where Diana, Princess of Wales, is buried.

He is thought to have visited his mother’s grave during his stay, which coincided with the 27th anniversary of her death.

Although familial relations remain strained, the Duke has made no secret of his desire to build bridges with his father.

He is understood to want the freedom to return to the UK more frequently and with less red tape, but such visits remain fraught amid his ongoing legal battle over security.

The Duke lost a High Court challenge at the beginning of the year over his right to state-funded police protection, and is currently required to give 30 days notice of his travel plans so that each visit may be assessed on its merits.

His appeal against the ruling will be heard next April, but he remains insistent that it is too dangerous to bring his wife or children to the UK, fearing a “knife or acid” attack.

The ongoing tensions between father and son rest in part on the Duke’s belief that his father has the power to reinstate his police protection as members of the royal household sit on the Home Office committee responsible for making such decisions, including the King’s private secretary.

One friend was quoted as saying that, if the matter was resolved, it would be “swords down”. However, Buckingham Palace strongly refuted such claims and sources insisted it would be “wholly inappropriate” for the monarch to intervene.