Prince Harry is officially back in the U.K. It’s only been five months since his last visit but much has changed for the Duke of Sussex in that time, most significantly there are hopes of reconciliation between Harry and his father, something which seemed like a distant dream when the prince was last in the country.
The duke will be in the U.K. for the WellChild Awards, an annual celebration of young people that deal with complex medical needs, however, before he made an appearance at the ceremony the prince made one very important stop first.
Prince Harry paid his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II
Upon touchdown in the U.K., Harry made his way to Windsor Castle and laid a wreath and privately paid his respects to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. This day in particular is significant as September 8 marks the third anniversary of the Queen’s death.
In the past Harry has claimed that he and the late monarch were very close, although recent revelations from those who knew the queen have suggested that their relationship deteriorated prior to Harry and Meghan departing for the U.S. Regardless, the significance of the date no doubt prompted Harry to do something, no matter how small, to mark the occasion.
After paying a visit to Windsor Castle the prince made an appearance at the WellChild awards, a ceremony that is of great importance to him. He was photographed spending time with some of the honorees prior to the event.
Will the prince make the time to see his father?
Of course, the question on everyone’s lips is whether or not Harry will carve out some time to meet with King Charles face to face while he’s in the U.K. The prince will be in Nottingham on Tuesday to visit a community recording studio according to sky.news.com. However, the rest of his itinerary remains somewhat shrouded in mystery.
There has long been speculation that the father and son could break new ground by meeting in person during Harry’s visit, but if they do, it will more than likely be a very secretive meeting without the prying eyes of the press.
Efforts towards reconciliation between Harry’s family and the rest of the royals began back in July when representatives for Charles and Harry met to open up a line of communication. However, there has yet to be a proper meeting between the pair although both sides have expressed an eagerness to meet at some point or other.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to Harry’s brother William, who remains unconvinced that welcoming the Duke of Sussex back into the family is a good idea.
