Prince Harry returned to Britain for the first time in three months today to attend a charity awards ceremony on the eve of the Queen’s death anniversary.
The Duke of Sussex celebrates the achievements and resilience of seriously ill children and their families supported by WellChild at the London event.
But it’s not likely that Harry will see his father, King Charles III, or his brother Prince William, during his quick visit, as the siblings have not been in contact for months.
William was 100 miles from London in Dorset today visiting Bournemouth AFC and a Pret A Manger pub as part of his major campaign to end homelessness.
The awards ceremony will take place on the eve of the first anniversary of the death of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Britain’s longest-serving monarch died on September 8 last year in Scotland’s Balmoral, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.
Harry is visiting Britain without his wife Meghan and their children Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, who have stayed home in Montecito, California.
Prince Harry returned to Britain for the first time in three months today to attend a charity awards ceremony on the eve of the Queen’s death.
The WellChild Awards are held at The Hurlingham Club, Ranelagh Gardens, London
The Duke made his last public appearance in Britain three months ago ahead of his high-profile High Court case against Mirror Group Newspapers.
He has been a patron of WellChild for 15 years and regularly attends the annual awards ceremony, but the Duchess of Sussex, who has been a guest at previous events, is not expected to attend.
Last year, the awards were presented on the day the Queen died, forcing Harry and Meghan to pull out of the event as the Duke flew to Scotland to be with other members of the royal family.
The awards ceremony will take place two days before Harry’s Invictus Games – for wounded servicemen and veterans – begin Saturday in Düsseldorf, Germany, and will be held eight days from now.
The location of tonight’s awards ceremony was kept secret and the organizers refused to tell MailOnline the location in advance.
One source said both the organizers and Harry were “absolutely paranoid” about the venue being revealed ahead of the event.
WellChild did announce that a live stream of the prizes will be broadcast from 6.15 pm via the Hello! magazine, who are the official media partners.
The magazine also reported that Harry will probably stay in Britain tomorrow for the anniversary of the Queen’s death. He will then travel to Düsseldorf on Saturday.
Harry said: ‘For nearly two decades, WellChild has been transforming the lives of children and young people in the UK, providing critical care that prioritizes the physical, mental and emotional well-being of these individuals and their families.’
Prince William speaks with Paul Gascoigne today at Pret A Manger in Bournemouth
He has been a patron of WellChild for 15 years and regularly attends the annual awards ceremony, but the Duchess of Sussex, who has been a guest at previous events, is not expected to attend.
The duke appeared in good spirits on his arrival in Britain
Meanwhile, King Charles III was spotted in Scotland today, near Balmoral Castle
During the event, the Duke will spend time with the winners and their families at a pre-ceremony reception, before presenting the Inspiring Child (aged four to six) award and giving a speech.
WellChild chief executive Matt James said: ‘The number of children and young people in Britain living with long-term, complex medical needs is growing.
“The 2023 WellChild Awards, in partnership with GSK, will be a unique opportunity to shed light on the immense challenges they face and celebrate their remarkable resilience and spirit.
“It will also provide an opportunity to recognize the selfless dedication of those around them, from siblings and parent caregivers to the professionals who have gone above and beyond to give them the very best chance to thrive.”
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are not expected to attend any public gatherings this week as they commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
The couple will instead celebrate the anniversary privately tomorrow at their Scottish retreat, where they are spending their traditional summer holiday.
It is believed that William has not had any contact with his younger brother since Harry released his autobiography Spare in January, in which he accused his older brother of pushing him to the ground, causing Harry to fall on a dog bowl.
Harry has returned the keys to his home at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor and it is unclear whether his family would offer him any other accommodation during his stay.
Harry also appeared to criticize his family again last month in his new Netflix series about the Invictus Games.
In an interview as part of the Heart of Invictus series, the Duke said he had “no support structure” to help him deal with his mental health issues stemming from his time in Afghanistan and the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
Prince Harry arrives on the red carpet ahead of the party night
Harry is briefly in London ahead of the Invictus Games in Germany
Prince William has a surprise meeting with Paul Gascoigne at a Pret in Bournemouth today
Prince William speaks this afternoon with Pret CEO Pano Christou in Bournemouth, 100 miles from the ceremony
Then, Meghan was photographed Monday night at a Beyoncé concert in Los Angeles with actress Kerry Washington and singer Kelly Rowland as her go-around continued.
On Sunday, Harry was spotted sitting in a box at the Los Angeles FC stadium alongside Hollywood venture capitalist Adam Lilling, who is believed to be helping the Sussexes with their major rebrand.
Meanwhile, Meghan is reportedly preparing for an Instagram “relaunch” and experts predict she could earn $1 million per post.
Harry will give a welcome speech this Saturday in Düsseldorf at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, the paralympic competition for wounded servicemen and veterans that he founded.
Meghan is expected to attend the eight-day event later this week.
Last year, Meghan took the stage to pay tribute to the contestants and their families before introducing her husband.
The Duchess later made a surprise solo visit to a charity that supported girls and non-binary children.
Harry’s arrival at Düsseldorf City Hall on Saturday will coincide with a demonstration, confirmed by a police spokesman, by activists who claim the German military will use the competition to target and recruit students into the armed forces.
In addition to attending this year’s Invictus Games, Harry will also participate in a German version of ‘Match of the Day’ to help promote the competition.
He will be a guest on a late-night TV program that usually discusses and analyzes midday football in the German Bundesliga.
But instead of talking about the latest results regarding Harry Kane’s new team Bayern Munich, he will discuss the Invictus Games.
The Duke will be joined by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius for the live chat on the sports studio show on Saturday night. There will also be three contestants from the games.
Harry is expected to fly by helicopter to the ZDF studios in Mainz after the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games.
Transport will be provided by the German army, which is hosting the week-long event, involving teams from 21 different countries.
Harry will single-handedly launch the biennial games in Germany, while his wife Meghan remains at home in California with their two young children.
She is expected to join him later this week and take part in the closing ceremony at the Merkur-Spiel Arena. Singer Rita Ora will perform at the closing event where both Harry and Meghan will give speeches.
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