Prince Harry is back in London ahead of an appearance at a charity awards ceremony – but seems unlikely to meet up with his father.
The 40-year-old beamed as he arrived at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel to meet children, teenagers and their parents who will be recognised with awards from the charity WellChild.
He has been patron of the charity for 15 years and travelled to the UK from the USA without his wife, actress and campaigner Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex looked relaxed as he began one of only a handful of events he now stages in the UK, following his move to America with his family.
The Mirror reports Harry’s visit to his homeland will no doubt raise speculation about whether he and his estranged brother the Prince of Wales will actually see one another, or if he will travel to Scotland to visit his father, the King.
A brotherly reunion does appear somewhat unlikely as they did not talk to one another when both attended a family funeral back in August.
Charles is understood to be spending some time at Balmoral and has not seen Harry since his youngest son rushed home to be at his side following his cancer diagnosis back in February.
Harry regularly attends the annual event hosted by WellChild, the national charity which provides a nationwide network of nurses, home makeover projects and family support programmes.
The WellChild awards celebrates the inspiring qualities of some of the country’s seriously ill young people and the dedication of those who keep them healthy and happy, including health, social care and education professionals.
Before the awards, Harry, who was last week in New York, will attend a reception to meet the category winners and their families before joining guests for the private awards ceremony where he will present the Most Inspirational Child (aged four to six) award.
He will also deliver a speech. He has regularly travelled solo to support causes close to his heart, such as conservation, the environment and honouring his mother’s legacy.
Veteran former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond previously told OK!: “We have seen the old Harry again during recent events he’s attended in the UK and now in New York.
“He is brilliant with the people he meets, especially the children, and I think it shows the family back home that he is still determined to continue his kind of service without all the royal trappings.
“If he wants to use his platform to do good, then we should applaud him for it.” Jennie added Harry was not trying to undermine the Royal Family by carrying out work while not being directly affiliated with his family.
She explained: “He has chosen to use his platform to promote causes he cares about… to ‘serve’ even though he is not a working royal. I don’t think he’s trying to put noses out of joint, I think he’s just following his instincts, as well as his mother’s example.
“It’s no coincidence that he has taken up several of the causes she espoused. I think he feels a real vocation to carry on her work.” Last week, it was also confirmed that Harry will be in Southern Africa early next month.
The trip is part of a visit for his charity Sentebale, which he co-founded in 2006. It will be his first trip to the region since 2019 – and it appears to be a solo visit with no mention so far of wife Meghan Markle joining him.
The trip will see him gather world business leaders and philanthropists to work towards fostering prosperity in Southern African communities, specifically focused on young people.
His Sentebale charity, which he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, will bring together leaders from Google’s charity and several other companies and organisations for a series of meetings and discussions in Lesotho and Johannesburg, South Africa.
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