Royal news live: Harry to return to UK for awards without Meghan as they launch US election voting campaign
The Princess of Wales has completed her first work engagement of the year
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Prince Harry is set to return to the UK at the end of September for the WellChild Awards without Meghan Markle.
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”.
Harry will attend the London-based event in his capacity as patron for the charity, which provides support to seriously ill British children and young people.
It is believed he will not meet with King Charles while in the UK, as the monarch has an engagement in Scotland at the time.
This comes as the Sussexes launched a campaign encouraging people in the US to use their right to vote ahead of the presidential election.
A statement on the Archewell Foundation’s website read: “Voting is not just a right; it’s a fundamental way to influence the fate of our communities.”
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'Rift between Harry and William still strong’
BBC royal correspondent Daniela Relph hs claimed the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry no longer talk as the younger sibling turns 40.
She said in an article for Harry’s birthday: “There is anger, frustration and bitterness that shows no sign of easing.
“Harry’s TV interviews, book and public criticism of the Royal Family has been too much for his older brother and several other senior royals.”
A source told her: “I just can’t see a fix.
“It’s been a long time now and they haven’t found a peace. Their lives are now very separate. It’s sad.”
Prince Harry recalls ‘cold-blooded’ gift from relative in Spare
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry recounted a quirky Christmas Eve at Sandringham Estate when Princess Margaret gave him an odd gift of a tiny pen with a rubber fish wrapped around it.
“Standing before my pile, I chose to open the smallest present first. The tag said: ‘From Aunt Margo’. I looked over, called out: ‘Thank you, Aunt Margo!’,” he wrote.
After unwrapping it, Harry was taken aback and expressed his gratitude to Margaret, who emphasised that it wasn’t just any pen but a special one.
Harry reflected on the gift, noting: “It wasn’t just any biro, she pointed out. It had a tiny rubber fish wrapped around it. I said: ‘Oh. A fish biro! OK.’ I told myself: That is cold-blooded.”
Birthday post doesn’t mean Prince William and Prince Harry are reconciled - expert
Royal expert Tom Bower has claimed the Prince and Princess of Wales’ birthday post to Prince Harry are merely about keeping up public appearances.
Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Bower said: “William and Kate’s surprise birthday wishes to Harry do not signal a step towards reconciliation. Rather it shows that the Waleses don’t want to be criticised as churlish.
“Being diplomatic costs them nothing and avoids criticism. The King understandably has congratulated his son but there’s no evidence of defrosting their relationship.”
King and Queen kept to normal routine visiting church in Balmoral
The King and Queen enjoyed their usual Sunday morning routine in Balmoral after wishing Prince Harry a happy 40th birthday on social media
Charles, 75, and Camilla, 77, went to their regular church service at nearby Craithie Kirk.
It came as Harry enters his fifth decade in what has been a rollercoaster year for the royal family, with both the King and the Princess of Wales being diagnosed with cancer.
When the King’s shock health news was announced in February, Harry made a transatlantic dash to see him but his meeting with his father was kept to just 45 minutes.
In comments released to the BBC, the duke said “I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40”, and described how fatherhood had given him a renewed sense of purpose to make “this world a better place”.
Prince Harry has no intention of returning to royal family - friend
In a report by the BBC for the Duke of Sussex’s 40th birthday, senior royal correspondent Daniela Relph said that reports of Harry making a sensational return to the royal family were wide of the mark.
According to the royal correspondent, a friend of Harry’s said that although he would like to come over more for work, he would not relocate to the UK.
“Why would he give up everything he’s achieved there to return here? His life is now in America,” the source said.
Prince Harry will feel ‘delighted’ after surprise birthday greetings from Prince and Princess of Wales
Prince Harry is said to be delighted after William and Kate shared an earlier post from the royal family on X, adding: “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams tolf the Express: “The Palace had a policy of only recognising the birthdays of working royals on social media. This marks a change but it is a special occasion. It is a sensible move that naturally begs the question, are tensions easing?
“It is in everyone’s interest to have reconciliation and that, if it happens, it will almost certainly take a long time. Mutual trust will need to be restored.
“However the obvious first step is to cease all hostilities.”
He added: “It would build on the pleasure Harry must surely feel in having his special day marked unexpectedly on social media by the royal family.”
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