Prince Harry’s Return to London Could Overshadow Queen Elizabeth’s Death Anniversary in Favor of Harry’s ‘Antics,’ Expert Says
Prince Harry is set to return to the United Kingdom for the WellChild Awards in September 2023. It happens to be the same reason the prince was in the United Kingdom last year when he received the news about how ill Queen Elizabeth, his grandmother, had fallen; he was able to meet the rest of the family to say their final goodbyes just before she died.
Now, one year later, the awards ceremony is once again taking place around the queen’s death. Harry will be in the UK for her first death anniversary, though one royal expert thinks the media could be too distracted by Harry’s appearance, which could mean less coverage around the late queen.
Prince Harry will be in the United Kingdom during the queen’s death anniversary
Harry will return to the UK without his wife, Meghan Markle, in early September to attend the WellChild Awards; it happens to be the same time the queen’s first death anniversary is as well, though the royals don’t seem to have anything in particular planned for the event.
One royal expert is concerned that Harry’s appearance in the UK could overshadow the queen’s anniversary, given that the media attention might be more focused on Harry being in the same place as his family. Right now, it remains to be seen whether Harry could sit down with his family at any point; there were rumors of peace talks on Harry’s way back to California after the Invictus Games later this month, but nothing has been set in stone.
“One of the concerns that him being here: Him giving that speech at the WellChild Awards, might move attention away from the one-year anniversary of the Queen’s passing to whatever antics that Prince Harry has going on,” said Esther Krakue, a royal commentator speaking to Sky News Australia (via Express).
The royal family hasn’t announced any sort of memorial for the queen, so they likely won’t do anything too special; still, Harry could partake if something comes up. He attended the queen’s funeral last year as well as King Charles’ coronation ceremony this year; it seems he does still visit the UK for major royal moments, despite the tension.
Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth were close through the years
Although Harry was not on great terms with the rest of his family when the queen died, she was always someone he trusted and with whom he remained close. When Harry and Meghan left the royal family, they told Oprah Winfrey that they still had a very close relationship with the queen, and that was proven true at the birth of their second daughter. Harry and Meghan named her “Lilibet Diana,” after her great-grandmother’s childhood nickname and, of course, her mother’s first name.
Despite their closeness, it was not enough to keep Harry and Meghan in the family. And now that the queen has died, it’s hard to say if Harry will ever be able to reconcile with his father and brother. Still, time will tell if peace talks do happen.
