Prince William and Princess Kate to Skip Town as Harry Prepares To Come to the UK
After a reunion with King Charles last September, royal fans hoped that Prince Harry would meet the Waleses during his upcoming UK trip.
While royal watchers hoped that Prince Harry would use his upcoming UK trip to mend fences with his family, a new update suggests he will not be seeing Prince William and Kate Middleton. The reason, however, is not to avoid any potential awkwardness, but scheduling conflicts. On January 14, Kensington Palace announced that the Prince and Princess of Wales will travel to Scotland for a joint engagement, the same week Harry will be in the UK. With a packed itinerary beginning on the 21st, any meeting with the Duke appears unlikely.
On January 21, William and Middleton, also the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, are scheduled to carry out a joint engagement there, hundreds of miles away from London. Their visit will begin at the National Curling Academy in Stirling, where they will meet members of Great Britain's Olympic and Paralympic curling teams ahead of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. They will also stop by Radical Weavers, a Stirling-based handweaving studio that promotes Scottish tartan heritage and benefits from weaving as a therapeutic quality to create blankets and textiles for those in need.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex is expected to arrive at his homecountry on January 19 for his court case against Associated Newspapers (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. He is among several high-profile figures, including singer Elton John, actress Elizabeth Hurley, and actor Jude Law's ex-wife, Sadie Frost, who are suing the publisher over alleged invasions of privacy. Unlike his visit last September, which included a private tea with King Charles at Clarence House for 50 minutes, Harry is not expected to meet his father during this trip.
Much like William and Middleton, the King is also expected to be in Scotland on a break from public duties. Moreover, the Telegraph reports that with multiple commitments in the US, the Duke is said to be spending only a few days in the UK, functioning on a tight schedule. Royal sources have suggested that Charles allegedly wishes to keep his distance from his son's court proceedings. Still, royal watchers hope that if Harry's taxpayer-funded UK security is reinstated, he may eventually be able to return without fear and reunite with his family.
Regardless of how the Associated Newspapers case unfolds, Harry remains committed to being present when the proceedings begin. The upcoming visit could also mark his final trip without state-funded security in place. Last month, he was granted the full risk assessment he had been seeking after the Home Office reversed its earlier stance. An official review on January 6 concluded that he met the requirements to be considered for taxpayer-funded protection.
