Harry wants to put ‘trials and tribulations’ behind him in first UK visit in months – but will he meet King? | UK News

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Prince Harry will carry out a rare public engagement outside of London this week, as he heads back to the UK for a visit with “no negativity”.

After a tumultuous five years, the Duke of Sussex and his team are hoping this may be a trip that can help begin to “put the trials and tribulations behind them” and herald a reset, according to sources close to the royal.

It’s been confirmed the duke will be in Nottingham on Tuesday, visiting a youth organisation that he’s maintained strong personal contact with since moving to America.

Harry, who is no longer a working royal, is set to carry out a run of engagements and make a substantial donation to BBC Children in Need to support work tackling violence affecting young people.

It is not known if he will meet with his estranged brother, the Prince of Wales, or his father, the King.

The King is currently in Balmoral with the Queen, and so far, no engagements have been announced for the couple this coming week.

The monarch last met his youngest son face-to-face more than 18 months ago, when the duke made a transatlantic dash to see his father after hearing about his cancer diagnosis. The pair spent less than an hour together.

‘There is no negativity with this trip,’ say sources close to Harry

Harry’s past visits to the UK, since stepping away from royal life, have often been shrouded in secrecy with any public moments taking place in London. This will also be the first time in a while that he isn’t returning due to a court case.

Sources close to Harry suggest that already means “there is no negativity with this trip” saying that “Harry is really looking forward to coming back to do what he loves”, focusing on his charity work.

“It’s a moment to put the trials and tribulations of the last few years behind us,” they added.

But Harry and his team are well aware that there will be considerable interest in whether or not he will see his father, the King. Hopes of reconciliation and a potential meeting were ramped up earlier in the summer when members of Harry’s team were photographed meeting with the King’s communications secretary for the first time. Both sides aren’t commenting on any possible contact between Harry and his father this week.

When Harry arrives in London on Monday the King will be in Scotland, marking Queen Elizabeth’s death and his Accession Day. But it’s understood that Harry is due to be in the UK for most of the coming week. The strain in the relationship between father and son was emphasised by Harry in an interview he gave after he lost his legal challenge against the Home Office over his security.

We also understand that his team have tried to “pack in as much as possible” in the coming days, with a number of private meetings and public visits to other organisations with which he has longstanding links.

We are told he will not be meeting lawyers.

Ultimately it appears that Prince Harry and his team are hoping this visit will have a different, more upbeat tone, compared to other recent trips to the UK, in what feels like a reset for the duke.

It has been suggested that he may have wanted to make the trip longer but as he’s “financially responsible” for the visit, including the travel and security bill for him and his team, his time here comes at a considerable cost.

Read more:
Harry’s broken relationship with Royal Family – how did we get here?

Harry last visited the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham’s St Ann’s area to mark World Mental Health Day in 2019, just two months before he and the Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down as senior working royals and moving to North America.

The Duke of Sussex last visited the Community Recording Studio in Nottingham in 2019. Pic: PA
Image:
The Duke of Sussex last visited the Community Recording Studio in Nottingham in 2019. Pic: PA

He is planning to hold a private briefing with Children in Need, the Police and Crime Commission, the CRS and community outreach group Epic Partners in Nottingham, stage informal catch-ups with some of the young people he met before, and watch performances from CRS artists and make a short speech.

Harry appears to be focusing on his philanthropic ventures while his wife, Meghan, works on her lifestyle brand, As Ever. She is not expected to join him on the trip to the UK.

Meghan is not expected to join the duke on his trip. Pic: Netflix
Image:
Meghan is not expected to join the duke on his trip. Pic: Netflix

Senior aides to the King and the duke were pictured together in London this July in what was reported to be an initial step towards opening channels of communication between the two sides.

Harry levelled repeated accusations at the King, Queen, William and Kate in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary, and memoir Spare. But he outlined hopes for a “reconciliation” with his family in a BBC interview in May.

His sit-down with the BBC came in the wake of a court battle over his security in the UK. His level of security was changed after the couple stepped down as senior royals.

Harry took a legal challenge to the Court of Appeal, which he ultimately lost in May. He said he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back” to the UK.

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