Royal news live: Harry and Meghan accused of ‘ballot harvesting’ for Kamala Harris as duke plans UK return
The Sussees have been writing to unregistered voters in America
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of “ballot harvesting for Kamala Harris” after they launched a new campaign ahead of the US election.
While the couple have officially taken no political stance in the upcoming November election, they have been encouraging people to register to vote through their Archewell Foundation.
This has seen them write to unregistered voters, encouraging them to use their voices in the presidential election.
The chairman of the Republican movement in the UK, Greg Swenson, told the Daily Mail: “By encouraging people to vote they are essentially ballot harvesting for Kamala.
“You don’t have to say it... you don’t need a bumper sticker, we know who you voted for.”
Harry is set to return to the UK without Meghan at the end of September for the WellChild Awards.
The Times reports the Duke of Sussex is believed to be making the brief visit to his home country without his wife and children.
He recently told ITV that he will not bring Meghan to the UK because he fears “a knife or acid attack”.
A Very Royal Scandal includes ‘horrible’ question Prince Andrew ‘asked’ Emily Maitlis
King thanks Royal Navy submariners for their service
How each Royal Family member turned 40: From champagne in a French chateau to a Balmoral birthday bash
Buckingham Palace says it did not crop Meghan out of Harry’s birthday photograph shared by Kate and William
Harry at 40 might miss Britain, but the uncomfortable truth is we may miss him more
King Charles ‘will have spoken to Prince Harry on his birthday'
An insider has claimed that King Charles will have spoken to Prince Harry on his 40th birthday, despite ongoing tensions between the Sussexes and the royal family.
The revelation comes after the royals posted an unexpected birthday message for the duke on Sunday, which was shared by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
As reported by Vanity Fair, a source said: “It was always the king’s intention to publicly acknowledge his son’s 40th, and I am sure that the king will have spoken to Harry on his birthday.
“After all, it is his son, and whatever has happened, Charles loves Harry unconditionally as any parent does, and Sunday was an important day.”
Harry is reported to have marked the occasion in a low-key manner with his family in California and is set to further celebrate on a weekend getaway with friends.
Prince Harry to return to UK later this month
The Duke of Sussex will return to the UK at the end of September in his capacity as patron of the charity WellChild.
Harry, 40, will attend the charity’s awards in London on 30 September. WellChild provides support to seriously ill children and young people in the UK.
It is not known whether the duke will be accompanied by his wife Meghan Markle.
Princess of Wales returns to work after cancer treatment
The Princess of Wales has appeared on the royal rota for the first time since completing chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer.
Kate, 42, attended a meeting at Windsor Castle yesterday (17 September) with her task force that supports early childhood development.
Yesterday’s Court Circular read: “The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this afternoon held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle.”
The meeting likely concerned the Shaping Us campaign that aims to raise the profile of the importance of early childhood development and the impact it can have later in life.
This marks the princess’s third royal engagement of the year and her first work engagement.
King Charles has ‘ambition’ to reconcile with Prince Harry
King Charles is said to have an “ambition” to welcome Prince Harry back into the royal fold and reconcile.
The monarch last saw his youngest son for a reported 45 minutes in February following the announcement of his cancer diagnosis.
A family friend told The Daily Beast: “The King has made it very clear that he loves Harry and wants to be part of his and his family’s life.
“Publicly wishing him a happy 40th birthday is completely of a piece with that ambition.”
🎂 Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today! pic.twitter.com/sAlSiV9EaZ
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 15, 2024
Kate and William’s birthday message to Harry ‘not sent personally'
An insider has claimed that the Prince and Princess of Wales’s birthday message to Prince Harry was not sent personally by the couple.
They told The Daily Beast that if the message had been sent by the future king and queen, it would have been signed “W & C” as many of their other posts are.
“It was just a company thing,” the insider said. “Happy birthday blah blah blah.”
The source added: “It makes sense for Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace to align themselves on a little bit of essentially routine messaging around Harry.
“It shows William is willing to respect his father’s seniority and do what is asked of him.”
Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex! https://t.co/ZKJbYDmV6L
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 15, 2024
Prince William has ‘no interest’ in reaching out to Harry
Prince William is said to have “no interest” in reconnecting with Prince Harry, despite wishing him a happy 40th birthday on the official Kensington Palace channel.
A friend told The Daily Beast: “The honest truth is that William has no interest right now in reaching out to Harry and Meghan.
“He regards what Harry said in his book [Spare] as unforgivable and, understandably given Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, just wants to focus on his wife and family first and his job second. There isn’t space for a complicated reconciliation process with Harry. It’s not a priority.”
Harry and William ‘weren’t close’ before Diana’s death
A royal expert has claimed that Prince Harry and Prince William were not close prior to their mother Princess Diana’s untimely death in 1997.
Biographer Ingrid Seward told The Sun: “I remember after William went on his gap year, way back on operation Raleigh, Harry said ‘he’s much nicer now’, so this myth that Harry and William were very close, is a myth.
“They were only really close after their mother died. Of course, they unified and they were the only two people that knew what it felt like. But they weren’t very close as youngsters.”
But while the brothers are said to have once been close, their relationship now appears to be worse than ever and they are reported to have kept their distance when they recently attended their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes’s funeral.
Harry and Meghan’s California neighbours ‘fed up’ with couple
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s neighbours in Montecito have said that they are “fed up” with the couple and “can’t wait” for them to leave.
An anonymous neighbour said they “cannot wait for her [Meghan Markle] to go”, in particular, The Express reports.
Meanwhile, Frank McGinity, a veteran, said that he was “turned away” from the gates of their mansion when he tried to help the couple settle into the area by sharing some local history films.
He told the Montecito Journal: “We don’t see them very much around here.”
King Charles ‘ordered’ Kate and William to make appearance with Prince Andrew
King Charles is said to have ordered the Prince and Princess of Wales to make a public appearance with Prince Andrew.
The couple appeared with the disgraced Duke of York while attending a church service in Scotland during the royal family’s summer holiday to Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.
This came following Andrew’s almost complete banishment from public life after he was forced to step down as a working royal because of his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
A source told The Mirror: “The King feels he has an awful lot on his in-tray and this is one issue he wants to draw a line under.”
Prince William reportedly had “absolutely no desire” to be seen with his uncle according to an insider, but “[it] appears he may have had his wings clipped somewhat.”
William and Kate ‘quietly’ help troubled London foodbank
The Princess and Princess of Wales have made a generous donation to a London foodbank that was recently the victim of a robbery.
News of the gesture was shared by the charity Pecan on Twitter/X, who explained that thousands of pounds worth of goods and a laptop had been stolen from Southwark Food Bank’s warehouse on 8 September.
“A huge thank you to @Kensingtonroyal who have donated to the recovery effort following the theft of £3k of food supplies from @southwarkfoodbk,” the Christian charity wrote.
“All at @Pecan121a have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from across society. Food stocks are being replenished now.”
A huge thank you to @Kensingtonroyal who have donated to the recovery effort following the theft of £3k of food supplies from @southwarkfoodbk. All at @Pecan121a have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from across society. Food stocks are being replenished now ❤️
— Pecan (@Pecan121a) September 13, 2024
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments