Prince Harry is set to arrive in the UK today on the eve of the first anniversary of the Queen’s death, but will not meet the royal family during his visit, according to reports.
The Duke of Sussex, who is flying to London without his wife Meghan Markle, will attend an awards ceremony organised by WellChild, a children’s charity of which Harry has been a patron for 15 years.
The duke will be in London for the Queen’s first death anniversary on Friday 8 September, but palace sources told Mail Online Harry will not be meeting any members of the royal family – including King Charles and Prince William.
Harry will join WellChild to celebrate the resilience and achievements of the country’s seriously ill children and youngsters during an event on Thursday evening.
An insider told the newspaper Charles “had no time in his diary” to meet Harry, as the relationships between the duke and the rest of the family remain strained after the publication of his bombshell memoir Spare in January this year.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Kensington and Buckingam palaces for comment.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are currently at the late Queen Elizabeth’s summer residence, Balmoral estate in Scotland.
They are not expected to attend any public engagements this week, instead marking the queen’s death anniversary privately, the newspaper reported.
Announcing Harry’s visit last month, WellChild shared a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“We are delighted to announce that WellChild Patron Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, will attend the WellChild Awards, in association with GSK, on 7 September.”
The event begins at 6:15pm BST and will be livestreamed, with organisers declining to reveal its location.
After his London visit, Harry will travel to Dusseldorf, Germany for the opening ceremony of his Invictus Games on 9 September, when he will be joined by the duchess, Meghan Markle.
Harry came up with the idea for the tournament after a visit to the US to watch Warrior Games, the Department of Defense’s annual sporting event for injured or ill service personnel and veterans.
He credited the experience for helping him realise how sport can benefit service personnel in their recovery journeys and launched the Invictus Games in 2013.
“The Invictus Games will focus on what they can achieve post injury and celebrate their fighting spirit, through an inclusive sporting competition that recognises the sacrifice they have made,” Prince Harry said, at the time.
