Prince Harry Has 3 Questions to Ask About the Royal Family and His Next U.K. Return, Expert Says
TL;DR:
- Prince Harry attended King Charles III’s coronation on May 6, 2023.
- “There’s every chance he might come to the U.K.” again soon, a royal expert said.
- However, there are three questions Prince Harry will have to ask regarding accommodations and feeling “welcome.”
It won’t be long until Prince Harry returns to England after attending his father, King Charles III’s coronation on May 6. He’s expected to return to the U.K. in the coming months. According to a royal expert, there are three questions another potential royal family reunion hinges upon.
Prince Harry is expected back in England for legal proceedings
The Duke of Sussex will once again be U.K.-bound, except this time he’s not going for a major royal family event. Harry’s expected in England for legal proceedings relating to one of his lawsuits against British tabloids.
Harry, per Reuters, “has been selected as one of four test cases for the seven-week trial and is due to give evidence himself in person in early June.”
Meanwhile, just days after Harry attended the coronation, Mirror Group Newspapers, the publisher of the British tabloid Daily Mirror, apologized for unlawful information gathering.
Previously, Harry made claims against the royal family in a witness statement relating to a phone-hacking lawsuit. He also made a surprise appearance at a hearing in a London courthouse.
Harry’s U.K. return comes down to questions about accommodations and being ‘made welcome’
Although Harry’s expected back in England for legal proceedings, “it might be a while before we see Harry and his family here in Britain,” royal expert Katie Nicholl said (via ET).
“Harry is back for court cases that are coming up and he’s also back from the Invictus Games in Germany this summer, so there’s every chance he might come to the U.K.,” she said.
Here’s where the questions come in. “But where’s he going to stay? He doesn’t have the keys to Frogmore Cottage anymore,” Nicholl said. “There’s a big redistribution of the royal houses. There are plenty of places for him to stay.”
Formerly Harry and Meghan Markle’s U.K. residence, the couple were told to move out of the Windsor property in early 2023.
Another question, according to Nicholl, is whether or not they even want to go. “I think it’s really a case of do they want to come back?” she said. Finally, question three is: “Do they feel that they’re going to be made welcome?”
“I think the fact that Harry didn’t turn up at all for that lunch and to actually see his father and speak to him in person [is telling],” the expert said, referring to a post-coronation gathering.
Coronation a ‘missed opportunity’ for Harry and the royal family
Nicholl continued, saying Harry’s quick trip to see his father crowned turned out to be a “missed opportunity” for healing.
She said the feeling among the royal family is “that this was a missed opportunity. That he could’ve come back, he could’ve met with the family, it could’ve been something towards [reconciling], but he was in a hurry to get out.”
Harry reportedly arrived in London on May 5 ahead of the coronation. Shortly after the two-hour service ended, he headed for the airport. Harry returned to Montecito, California, for his son Prince Archie’s birthday, which was also on May 6.
“He was here for less than 24 hours,” the New Royals author said. “I think the feeling was amongst some members why bother coming in the first place? Certainly, for the king as a father, [there is] a sense of deep sadness.”
As for things between Harry and William, “they’re not on talking terms,” Nicholl said. “There is a [rift] between them that may never ice over.”
In Nicholl’s opinion, King Charles “would have gone out of his way to have made Harry feel welcome.”
At the time of writing, no details on whether or not Harry has plans to see the royal family during his U.K. return have been announced. Like the coronation, he may opt to make it a solo visit instead of a 2022 Platinum Jubilee-style family trip including the Duchess of Sussex and their two children.
