Prince Harry is making his return to the UK without wife Meghan Markle, as he is due to appear at the WellChild Awards in London on September 7, but it is unlikely to be a leisurely trip.
He will then travel on to Düsseldorf in Germany for the start of the 2023 Invictus Game, where Meghan Markle will join him as she is set to avoid being in the UK.
Relations between Harry and the rest of his family remain strained following claims made by the Sussexes in their Netflix documentary series and Harry’s memoir Spare.
Some had speculated that any trip to the UK could see Harry attempt to make peace with his estranged relatives, however other sources have scotched the rumours as the wounds are still too deep.
There is also the question of where he will stay when he is in the UK as he no longer has a permanent home in the country, and he is no longer entitled to royal security.
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When Harry and Meghan were first married they were given Frogmore Cottage in Windsor as a home, which they were forced to vacate by King Charles earlier this year.
The pair had not lived there since they relocated to Montecito in California in 2020, however they were still able to use the property as a base whenever they travelled to the UK.
Now the Duke will need to “ask permission” to be able to stay in a royal residence when he is over here, The Telegraph has reported.
When Harry and the rest of the Sussexes travel to the UK they need to arrange their own private security, as Harry is no longer entitled to automatic police protection.
The Duke has been barred from paying for his own police protection, and in May he lost a bid to bring a second High Court challenge against the Home Office to allow him to pay the Metropolitan Police for security.
The Home Office decided he was longer eligible for police protection, even if he paid for it himself, meaning Harry will have to pay for his own private security when in the UK.
Harry’s visit to the UK will coincide with the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth, who passed away at Balmoral on September 8 last year.
There is not thought to be an official ceremony planned for the occasion, although Prince William and Princess Kate will be in Wales at St David’s Cathedral leading tributes.
Harry and Meghan will honour his late grandmother in their own way, as a source told Page Six: “They will of course acknowledge and pay their respects to Her Majesty in their own way.”
