With Prince Harry confirmed to be in the UK next week for an important service at St Paul’s Cathedral, many have wondered if he will use the opportunity to build bridges with his royal relatives – but one royal expert believes it might not be the right time for reconciliation with the Prince and Princess of Wales

Prince Harry’s return to the UK next week has posed one huge question – will he meet up with his royal relatives on his trip back his his homeland?

The Duke of Sussex will be back in Britain to attend a special service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The last time he came to the UK was back in February, when he had a short meeting with his father King Charles after he made his cancer diagnosis public.

However, there was no reunion with the Prince and Princess of Wales, whom Harry took aim at in his controversial memoir, Spare, with their bond still seemingly at rock bottom. Since Harry’s last UK trip, his once close sister-in-law Kate has revealed her own cancer diagnosis and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment.

William and Kate along with Harry and Meghan in the days after the late Queen’s death (

Image:
PA)
And royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward believes Harry’s return will say a lot about how things really are between him and his royal relatives. She told the Mirror: “Prince Harry’s return to the UK next week might just give a clue to how things really are within the family.”

And when it comes to a reunion with William and Kate, Ingrid, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, said it is almost definitely off the cards. She explained: “It is highly unlikely Harry will see his brother after the insults Harry lobbed at him and Kate in print.

“William has enough going on and doesn’t need the stress. But he might realise Harry will want to see Kate after her cancer diagnosis as they were once so close. It remains to be seen if Kate is willing and able to face up to it. Does she have the energy to begin to try and heal the rift between the brothers or will she prefer to remain in the background?

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“If the King asks, she will do it, but Charles being the sensitive and understanding soul he is, would be unlikely to ask such a favour from his adored daughter-in-law. The time must be right, and it is not right now.”

The LA-based prince is due at Westminster Abbey on May 8 for a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. And Ingrid says it’s vital that details of any meeting between Harry and Charles remain firmly private.

“Meghan will not be there as she clearly has no desire to return to her husband’s birthplace unless it’s on her terms. If Harry stays in a royal residence, he will have the security protection he so desires. If there is a spare bed it would allow him to see his father privately. That way Harry would be less likely to use it as a PR opportunity. The King has business at Buckingham Palace including his weekly session with the Prime Minister and he would like to see his son.

“Monday is however Prince Archie’s fifth birthday and Harry would never leave before that as he has placed such importance on being there in the past.”

Ingrid Seward is editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of ‘My Mother & I, the inside story of the relationship between the King and the late Queen.