Prince Harry returned to the United Kingdom from California on Monday and privately laid a wreath at Windsor as members of the royal family marked the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death.
Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, paid tribute to the late monarch by visiting a Women's Institute event in Sunningdale, Berkshire, where they met members of the organisation that the Queen had long supported. The visit came on the same day Harry made his first UK trip in five months and quietly visited the royal burial site at Windsor, where the Queen is interred.
Harry is due to appear later on Monday at the WellChild awards in London, the first of several engagements planned during his stay. He flew from California and remained at Windsor for a private moment of remembrance. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and the couple's children stayed at their home in California.
The couple's Sunningdale stop reflected the late Queen's long association with the Women's Institute; she had served as president of the local branch. Prince William was dressed in a dark jacket and tie for the engagement, held under a period of royal mourning for the Duchess of Kent, who died last Thursday.
The anniversary also coincides with the accession to the throne of King Charles III. The king spent the day at Balmoral in Scotland, the estate where his mother died in 2022.
There has been public speculation about whether Prince Harry will meet his father during the visit. The last reported face-to-face meeting between Harry and King Charles took place in February 2024, shortly after the king disclosed his cancer diagnosis. Buckingham Palace has not confirmed any meetings between them for this trip.
The appearances by senior royals on the anniversary underscore the enduring role of ceremonial remembrance in the UK and reflect continuing public and media interest in the relationships within the royal family. Harry's return adds a rare in-person presence from the Duke of Sussex on British soil since his and his wife's move to the United States and follows a series of high-profile and often strained exchanges between the couple and other working members of the royal family.
Officials have described the WellChild awards as an opportunity to honour seriously ill children and those who care for them; Harry has previously been associated with charitable events of that type. The timing of his visit, and his private tribute at Windsor, were presented by aides as focused on his charitable commitments and personal remembrance rather than public confrontation.
The royal family is expected to continue a schedule of engagements and commemorations through the week. Further announcements about meetings or additional appearances by senior royals have not been made publicly.