Prince Harry's Next UK Trip May Be Right Around the Corner — and It's for a Cause Close to His Heart
After reuniting with King Charles earlier this month, Harry will likely return to the UK in September for an event he has long dubbed a personal highlight.
Prince Harry has his hands full with public engagements, despite stepping down as a senior royal six years ago. After reuniting with King Charles in the UK earlier this month, the Duke of Sussex is likely to return to his home country in September. As patron of WellChild since 2007, he could attend the annual WellChild Awards, spending time with seriously ill children and their families, as he did last year. The event remains one of his most cherished engagements, and one he has described as an inspiration.
WellChild is one of the few UK charities Harry supports even after leaving the royal family, as it is an independent charity patronage rather than one bestowed by the monarch. He has repeatedly stressed that he looks forward to the event every year because of the opportunity to meet children and know their stories. At the ceremony, he spends time with children and their families before presenting the award and giving a speech. Beyond the Awards, he has met specialist nurses, toured hospitals and families' homes, and helped raise awareness and funds for the charity's work.
While Harry has continued to attend the Awards ceremony in a personal capacity, Meghan Markle has not attended the event since 2019. Following the couple's move to California in 2020, she has prioritized staying home with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. In 2018, she attended the WellChild Awards with Harry while she was expecting Archie. The following year, a beaming Harry said proudly, standing beside his wife, that the event took on a completely different emotional meaning for them after their son's birth.
Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the Duchess of Sussex will attend the ceremony this year. Even though she did not join Harry for his Invictus events in the UK this month, she brought Archie and Lilibet from their Portugal holiday home to Highgrove House to meet their grandfather. As claimed by royal author Tina Brown on her Substack, Fresh Hell, "That same day, there was a Chanel-hosted lunch at Highgrove for 150 guests to celebrate craftspeople funded by the King's Foundation. The Sussex car slipped in amongst the stream of arriving vehicles and pulled up at another entrance," where she revealed Markle and her kids were picked up from.
As for Harry's annual visit, his UK trip last year for the Award ceremony was largely deemed a success, as it marked his first meeting with Charles since 2024. Shortly after their reunion, he gave a rare update on his father's health during a special reception for the Invictus Games. When a reporter asked how Charles was, he replied, "Yes, he's great, thank you."
