Prince Harry is returning to the UK for the first time in five months.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, is visiting to attend the WellChild Awards, which falls on the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death.
Since the news emerged, speculation has been rife about whether he will reunite with his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William.
However, it has now been claimed that Harry will not meet William, 43, during the trip – despite Harry’s hopes that he will make peace with his family.
William is reportedly remaining steadfast in his refusal to entertain a reunion with Harry following their estrangement.
According to reports, Kensington Palace announced that William will have royal engagements on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – clashing with Harry’s own diary.
“At the end of the day, as [Harry’s] no longer a member of the institution, he doesn’t feel bound to de-conflict his diary with the institution,” a source told The Sunday Times.
As well as attending the WellChild Awards, where he is a regular, Harry will also travel to Nottingham on Tuesday.
In the city, he will visit the Community Recording Studio and announce a Children in Need donation, according to People.
On Wednesday and Thursday, he will attend private receptions and meetings with other charities and patronages, leaving “hardly any downtime”.
Meanwhile, William will carry out an engagement in Sunningdale on Monday to mark the anniversary of the Queen’s death.
He will then visit youth organisation Spiral Skills in Lambeth before traveling to Cardiff to visit a new mental health hub run by the Jac Lewis Foundation.
The brothers look no closer to reconciling with their conflicting schedules, while King Charles is currently in Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
It has been reported that no meeting between Harry and his father has been scheduled over the coming days.
Harry had hoped to travel to the UK a little earlier to meet with Charles and potentially other family members at Balmoral, but the idea was ultimately vetoed.
“Balmoral is a personal, family home, while Buckingham Palace is a more formal space,” a source told New Idea. “And to put it bluntly, there are fewer emotional connotations. Harry was at Balmoral when he learned that [his mother] Princess Diana had died. Also, if the meeting does turn frosty, it’s easier for either of them to leave from a London venue.”
Despite the setback, Harry is said to be in a “good headspace” about his return to the UK and is looking forward to his solo visit.
“He’s so excited to come back to the UK,” the source told HELLO!.
“He’s in a really good headspace. He’s really looking forward to seeing everyone from his patronages face-to-face and focusing on the causes. He’s really positive about coming back to do all the stuff that he loves doing.”
The King is not believed to have seen Harry since February 2024, when they briefly met following the monarch’s cancer diagnosis.
However, Charles is said to be open to reconciling with Harry after reports that their respective aides met in London in July to broach the subject.
“Charles has always been the most open to reconciling with Harry, out of all the royals,” a palace insider exclusively told New Idea. “Even after the worst of Harry and the Duchess of Sussex’s barbs, Charles has never fully closed the door on him.”
Harry also gave an interview in May in which he said he would “love” to reconcile with his family.
“I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff… but it would be nice to reconcile,” he told BBC News.
His comment referenced his failed legal challenge over the level of security entitlement he gets when he visits the United Kingdom.
Harry also confessed that he “misses” the UK after moving to the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle, in June 2020.
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point. And the things they’re going to miss, well, everything … I miss the UK,” he explained.
Harry and Meghan, 44, are raising their two children – Archie, six, and Lilibet, four – in California.
