The Duke of Sussex will likely have to meet with his brother Prince William and his father King Charles despite ‘awkwardness’ as the Royal Family ‘will not be fooled by excuses’

Prince Harry will be forced to meet with his father King Charles III and brother Prince William when he visits the UK next month.

The Duke of Sussex is set to visit the UK at the beginning of May as he attends a celebration of ten years of the Invictus Games, which includes a special service held at St. Paul’s Cathedral on May 8. Whilst his relationship with his brother and father might still be estranged and tense, Harry might feel he has ‘no choice’ but to see the Royal Family whilst he visits rather than try and find excuses to avoid an awkward meeting.

Royal author Tom Quinn exclusively told The Mirror : “Barring a major upset, Harry will certainly return to the UK for the Invictus games in May – it’s his baby.

Despite their royal rift, Prince Harry will have ‘no choice’ but to meet with his older brother Prince William when he visits the UK next month
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“If he decides not to come, it will take some explaining, because everyone will assume it’s because he doesn’t want the awkwardness of having to meet his brother or having to choose not to meet him.”

Tom continued: “Not coming would be worse than finding some sort of compromise where Harry sees William for 10 minutes or comes up with some reason why he doesn’t have time to see his brother and his father and has to get back to the States quickly to be with his children. But no one is going to be fooled by these excuses.”

Prince Harry’s visit will come with some fraught feelings from the Duke as he returns to the UK after his defeat at the UK High Court earlier this year, where he lost his case against the Home Office and RAVEC following downgrades to his security after he stepped back from being a working royal.

The two brothers have had a strained relationship since Prince Harry stepped back from the royal family in 2020

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The Duke had been trying to overturn a ruling which saw his security status downgraded after he stopped being a “working royal”, as he cited concerns over his safety and that of his wife and two young children. Harry’s legal team previously told the High Court: “The claimant’s consistent position has been, and remains, that he should be given state security in light of the threats/risks he faces.”

It’s not yet known whether the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle will visit the UK alongside her husband. Meghan has rarely been back in the UK since the pair stepped back from their royal duties in 2020, with her last visit in 2022 to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. However, she did not return for King Charles III’s coronation last year, which Harry attended alone.