Prince William and Kate Middleton ‘dread’ Prince Harry’s UK visit and ‘have no desire’ to meet royals: expert

It’s been nearly a year since Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and her family doesn’t seem close to bridging the current divide.

Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died on September 8, 2022, aged 96. Her grandson Prince Harry is in the UK to attend a charity awards ceremony, but a family reunion is unlikely to be on the cards.

The Duke of Sussex, a longtime patron of UK charity WellChild, will attend its annual ceremony in London on September 7 to celebrate the achievements of seriously ill young people. He is not expected to be joined by his wife, Meghan Markle.

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It is not yet officially known whether the Duke of Sussex will see any family members while in the UK. Buckingham Palace spokespersons and the prince, 38, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

“I understand that the Prince and Princess of Wales have no desire to meet Harry – with or without Meghan Markle,” Kinsey Schofield, host of the ‘To Di For Daily’ podcast, told Fox News Digital. “There is a serious lack of trust and they don’t want this conversation repeated to anyone.”

“I suspect Prince William is dreading the arrival of Prince Harry,” she said. “Especially when William and Catherine are expected to publicly acknowledge the anniversary of the late Queen’s death. Harry will, no doubt, be a distraction and create conflicting headlines that the palace will not appreciate. He is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. ‘t…. It’s a difficult situation, but Harry seems to be prioritizing philanthropy at the moment. I’m not surprised by his eagerness to attend .

“Prince Harry will likely mention the late Queen in his speech at the WellChild Awards,” Schofield continued. “From there we can expect him to travel quickly to Düsseldorf to kick off the Invictus Games. … The Duke of Sussex is not expected to travel to Balmoral.”

British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that Harry’s visit to his home country would be brief. She also claimed the Duke of Sussex will not be visiting Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where his father, King Charles III, currently resides with his wife, Queen Camilla. She stressed that the king would keep a low profile, with no official commitment, as he mourned his mother in private.

The Queen died at her beloved Scottish estate.

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“Prince Harry will not meet his father or his brother,” she predicted. “The King will spend the day reflecting, following in the footsteps of his mother, who would also spend February 6, the day his father King George VI died, at Sandringham. Prince William will be in Wales with Kate and will lead tributes to the late Queen.

“Although Harry will be in England to speak at the WellChild ceremony in London on the eve of the first anniversary of the Queen’s death, he will then fly directly to the Invictus Games, which will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany. , starting Sept. 9. where his wife, Meghan, will join him,” Fordwich said. “It seems highly unlikely that the falling out between Harry and William will be mended any time soon. The Royals are letting the geographical distance in the UK serve as a handy buffer.”

“I understand that the Queen’s family will be marking this anniversary silently and privately, which is completely understandable,” British royal commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti told Fox News Digital. “Some members of the Royal Family will be at Balmoral, where they will no doubt privately reflect on this anniversary. There will be no public event to mark the anniversary, but Prince William and Princess Catherine are due to visit the St Davids Cathedral, South Wales, before visiting “

“Prince Harry must be in the UK, but we don’t think he will be visiting his father or brother,” Sacerdoti said. “He is due to attend a charity event the day before and is flying to Germany the day after the anniversary to open the Invictus Games. The late Queen used to mark the anniversary of her own father’s death at Sandringham, where she went to church. Maybe Charles and Camilla will do the same for her mum’s birthday.”

Harry pulled out of the same charity awards ceremony last year on September 8, the day the Queen died. He instead flew to Scotland to join other members of the royal family. At this year’s ceremony, Harry is expected to mingle with the winners at the reception before delivering a speech and presenting one of the prizes.

WellChild supports children and young people with long-term medical needs. Its annual awards aim to highlight their challenges and celebrate the caregivers who support them.

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Markle, 42, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018. The couple stepped down as senior royals in 2020. At the time, they had cited what they saw as the media’s racist treatment of the Duchess. and a lack of support from the palace.

After moving to California, the couple aired their grievances in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. In late 2022, their six-part Netflix documentary was released, which detailed their romance and struggles with royal life. Then, in January of this year, Harry’s memoir ‘Spare’ was published. He opened up about his long-standing rivalry with William, the heir to the throne, and the heartbreak he endured after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Schofield stressed that although the king, 74, chose to spend the dark day in private, she would not be surprised if her youngest son was on her mind.

“With recent reports that King Charles has ‘cancelled Prince William’ to welcome Prince Andrew back into the family…I wonder if the King misses his youngest son and is looking for some stability and reconciliation,” he said. Schofield said. “The fact that Andrew, who is such an incredible PR nightmare, is being welcomed with open arms so quickly is hard to fathom.”

Christopher Andersen, author of ‘The King’, told Fox News Digital he was not surprised by claims that the Royal Family would not meet Harry. He said royals of all stripes are choosing to put their duties first. And no so-called peace talks are on the horizon, at least in the near future.

Harry, who has been a patron of WellChild for 15 years, has attended 11 of its award ceremonies. His wife joined him at the awards ceremonies in 2018 and 2019. It was one of the few organizations he retained from his royal life after stepping out in 2020, People magazine reported.

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“Harry is just passing through town to go to the Invictus Games in Germany,” Andersen said. “He is no more interested in meeting his royal relatives than in meeting him. Both parties have made it clear that they are moving forward and that even a solemn occasion like the first anniversary of the late Queen’s death doesn’t have the power to heal the royal fracture. It continues to be a stalemate.

“I think we will see peace in Ukraine before we see peace between the Sussexes and the Windsors,” Andersen added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.