Prince Harry will return to the UK on the eve of the first anniversary of the Queen’s death to attend WellChild charity awards ceremony in London… but will Meghan join him?
- No public or private events are planned for the anniversary of the Queen’s death
Prince Harry will return to the UK for a charity awards ceremony on the eve of the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death.
In contrast to the global outpouring of grief and days of state events following the Queen’s passing on September 8 last year, there are no public events or private family gatherings planned for the anniversary.
The King and Queen are expected to spend the day in private reflection at their Balmoral estate in Scotland.
The night before the anniversary, Harry will attend an event celebrating the achievements and resilience of seriously ill youngsters supported by children’s charity, WellChild, in London.
It is not known if Harry will return to Los Angeles on September 8, or will choose to spend time with friends and family in the UK.
Prince Harry will return to the UK for a charity awards ceremony on the eve of the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death. Pictured: The late Queen and Prince Harry together in 2019
Prince Harry has been WellChild’s patron for 15 years and regularly attends its annual awards ceremony
On his visit to the UK for the Coronation in May, he flew home immediately after leaving the service at Westminster Abbey.
The Queen died at Balmoral last year, aged 96, during her traditional summer stay at the castle.
This summer, King Charles has decided to stay at the castle for three weeks to continue his mother’s tradition, despite usually staying at Birkhall, his private residence on the estate.
It’s not known which royals will join the King and Queen at the castle. Harry has been WellChild’s patron for 15 years and regularly attends its annual awards ceremony.
The Duchess of Sussex, who has been a guest at past events, is not expected to attend this year.
The 2022 WellChild awards took place on the day the Queen died, and the duke and duchess withdrew from the event with Harry flying to Scotland.
A delay in his jet taking off meant he was airborne when news of his grandmother’s death was broken to the world.
In his biography Spare, published earlier this year, Harry claimed he was given direct instructions from then-Prince Charles not to bring Meghan, writing how his father cited ‘nonsensical and disrespectful’ reasons for her not to accompany him to Balmoral.
There are no public events or private family gatherings planned for the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, the King and Queen at the late monarch’s funeral
In an interview in January, he said: ‘The day that she died was just a really, really horrible reaction from my family members.
‘I was like ‘We’re here to celebrate the life of granny and to mourn her loss, can we come together as a family?’
The WellChild ceremony is being held days before Harry’s Invictus Games for wounded military personnel and veterans begins in Dusseldorf, Germany, on September 9.
Harry said: ‘For nearly 20 years, WellChild has been transforming the lives of young people… providing critical care that prioritises the physical, mental and emotional well-being of these individuals and their families.’
During the event, he will spend time with each winner and their families at a pre-ceremony reception before presenting the award for Inspirational Child (aged four to six) and delivering a speech.
Matt James, WellChild chief executive, said the awards ceremony will ‘shine a light on the ‘remarkable resilience and spirit’ of seriously ill youngsters.
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