Prince Harry will undertake a four-day visit to the United Kingdom starting Monday to carry out a series of charity engagements, Buckingham Palace said it would not comment on whether the duke would meet his father, King Charles.
The trip, described by those close to Harry as a focus on his patronages, is his longest visit to Britain since he and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, travelled there in 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Palace officials have declined to say whether any meetings with the King are planned.
Harry will attend the WellChild Awards in London on Monday, where he has served as patron for 17 years and will present an award. On Tuesday he is scheduled to visit the Community Recording Studio in Nottingham and is expected to announce a "substantial donation" to Children in Need to support work addressing violence affecting young people. He has additional engagements on Wednesday and Thursday tied to causes including the Invictus Games and the Diana Award.
A source close to the duke said the visit is "four days long and focusing purely on the patronages," adding: "[He is] keeping it positive, no courtrooms, just doing the stuff he loved to do and, hopefully, helping some of those causes closest to his heart."
The trip comes against a backdrop of sustained public tension between Harry and senior members of the royal family. The duke has pursued legal action against His Majesty's Government over the withdrawal of full-time official security; he lost that case earlier this year and publicly described the outcome as an "Establishment stitch-up." He has also made public remarks about the King, and the two have not had a substantive private meeting since February of last year, when Harry flew to the UK after Buckingham Palace announced Charles's cancer diagnosis. That meeting lasted about 30 minutes, according to reporting.
King Charles is currently at Birkhall, his Scottish residence, where he was expected to remain while privately marking the anniversary of his mother's death and his accession to the throne. The palace did not indicate whether any private audiences this week could bring the King back to London.
Prince William, who has signalled a firmer stance on reconciliation, has scheduled official engagements on each day of Harry's visit. He is due to attend a commemoration in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on Monday to mark the third anniversary of his grandmother's death, visit the Spiral Skills youth organisation in Lambeth on Tuesday and open a mental health hub at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Wednesday to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.
Friends of the duke have reiterated public comments in recent weeks that Harry would like to "come home more" and hopes to rebuild family relationships. One friend was quoted as saying Harry "really would like to come back to the UK much more," while another said he had "made it absolutely clear that he wants a reconciliation with his family. It’s on them now."
Those views have not been universally welcomed inside royal circles. A source in those circles said it is "not that easy to dismiss recent events or try to paper over the damage that has been done," adding that "trust has been lost and will not be easy to recover."
Security concerns have been raised repeatedly by the duke. Earlier this year he told the BBC that any visit to the UK carried a significant risk of physical harm to him and his family. A spokesperson for his team said live threats against the duke "continue to exist and he accepts they always will" but added that the level of risk he will tolerate personally is different from what he would accept for his family.
The visit is likely to renew public and media attention on the state of relations within the royal family and on the practical arrangements for the duke’s security while in Britain. Harry’s spokespeople and palace officials have framed this week’s appearances as focused on charity work rather than family matters, while leaving open the possibility of private contact that the palace has not confirmed.