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Prince Harry has sought advice from his former British aides about plotting a return from the US that could involve a partial reinstatement to the royal fold, sources have revealed.
In what has been described as the initial stage in a strategy to “rehabilitate” him, The Mail on Sunday reported the Duke of Sussex has been seeking help from advisers he had when he was a working royal amid increasing alleged issues with American-based PR firms.
A key aim of the claimed move would be for Harry to repair his relationship with his father – although the sources stressed he and his wife Meghan Markle are not looking to make a permanent return to the UK.
It comes as the King is hosting Sir Keir Starmer at Balmoral for his first official weekend at the royal retreat as prime minister.
Sir Keir and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer are following convention and spending a few days at the Scottish home of Charles and Camilla.
Meanwhile, the duke flew from the US to join the Prince of Wales at the funeral for their mother’s brother-in-law, Lord Robert Fellowes, 82, at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, on Thursday, The Sun reported.
However, a local resident told the newspaper the brothers sat apart at the back of the church and did not speak to each other.
Key Points
- Harry ‘asks ex-aides about returning from US’
- King hosts Prime Minister and his wife at Balmoral for the weekend
- Harry and William attend uncle’s memorial – but sit apart and ‘don’t speak to each other’
King Charles pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia
King Charles has released a statement offering his condolences to the people of Aotearoa after the passing of Kiingi Tuheitia.
Buckingham Palace released the following statement: ”My wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the death of Kiingi Tuheitia.
“I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades. He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand founded upon culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion.
“I remember with immense fondness meeting Kiingi Tuheitia many times, including when Her Majesty and I were hosted so warmly and graciously at the Tuurangawaewae Marae in 2015, and then again during our meeting at Buckingham Palace last year. His death is a particular shock in view of the fact that I had only very recently spoken to Kiingi on the telephone at the beginning of August.
“Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui a Tāne. (A mighty Totora tree has fallen.)
“My wife and I extend our deepest condolences to Kiingi Tuheitia’s whaanau and friends and all those who will mourn his loss. Our special thoughts and prayers will be with you at this most difficult and heartbreaking of times.”
It was signed ‘Charles R’.
Kiingi Tuheitia was elected to the Māori throne on 21 August 2006 and held several important roles, including patron of Te Matatini, the largest Māori cultural festival. He also represented the Māori people at King Charles III’s May 2023 coronation.
Following tradition, the next Māori monarch will be chosen with an election.
XR activist suggests King would be at Windsor camp if he wasn’t monarch
One of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists who have set up a camp in Windsor has said she thought the King would “probably be here” and “up for doing some camping” if he was not the head of state.
Tents, stages and speakers were set up in Windsor Home Park on Friday morning ahead of an “action-packed” weekend of activities.
Activist Marijn van de Geer, 41, said of Charles: “I reckon if he wasn’t the King he’d probably be here. I think he’d probably be quite good at giving some talks and trainings. He’s quite an outdoorsy person, he’d probably be up for doing some camping, it’s a shame he’s the King because he obviously can’t be here.
“As an individual he has spoken out a lot about the environment. He was well ahead of his days at the time when he was talking about it and everyone was laughing at him.
“This is 100 per cent not an attack at the King. Extinction Rebellion UK does not have any plans to storm Windsor Castle, any hotels, nor cause public disruption.”
Schoolboy tries on prize-winning cardboard crown in front of the King
A schoolboy donned his prize-winning cardboard crown in front of the King as the monarch visited a flower show.
The King laughed as Oliver Keith tried on the homemade creation of silver cardboard, purple tissue paper and golden tinsel at the Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen’s 200th anniversary show in the city’s Duthie Park.
He questioned the eight-year-old on the fit and how long it took him to make the third-prize winning entry before asking him if he would like to try it on.
Laura Paterson reports:
Schoolboy tries on prize-winning cardboard crown in front of the King
Oliver Keith, 8, made the crown for a competition at a flower show in Aberdeen.
Barney Davis2 September 2024 00:30 1725229826Recap: William revealed Kate romance during classic British drinking game
Prince William’s ex-girlfriend “unwittingly” revealed his relationship with Kate Middleton during a fateful game of Never Have I Ever with friends, a new biography has revealed.
The now heir to the throne, 42, met his future wife while studying at St Andrew’s University in Scotland and the pair started out as friends.
However, over time, romance blossomed and it was initially “shrouded in secrecy” because of William’s position within the royal family.
My colleague Emma Guinness reports:
Prince William revealed Kate romance during classic British drinking game
Prince William’s relationship with Kate Middleton was initially ‘shouded in secrecy’
Barney Davis1 September 2024 23:30 1725226200Harry and Meghan ‘keen’ to do more faux-royal tours
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly “keen” to do more unofficial tours after successfully visiting Nigeria and Colombia this year.
Though carried out in their capacity as private citizens, the visits have many of the hallmarks of official royal tours and have been used to promote several charitable causes.
A source told OK! magazine: “Both Meghan and Harry are keen to do more of these tours as that’s what they love doing and what they enjoyed most about royal life.”
Prince Harry’s ‘telling’ decision to not alter Spare
A royal expert has speculated that Prince Harry’s decision not to add any new material to Spare is not “an olive branch”.
The book is being released in paperback for the first time on 22 October.
Royal historian Tessa Dunlop told the Mirror: “Those who suggest that this paperback release, with no additional material, is an olive branch, are sadly mistaken.
“New material can be conciliatory; Harry might have taken the lead and opened with a different prologue, fore-fronting his regret about how things turned out, and reiterating his good wishes for Kate and the King.”
The memoir was first released in January 2023, notably before King Charles’s coronation and the royal family’s recent health troubles.
Recap: Meghan ‘would never want someone else to not be believed’
Recap: Watch as King Charles meets first responders of Southport knife attack
Join our event on the British Monarchy’s personnel crisis
The future direction of the monarchy is on a knife-edge, amid the passing of the late Queen, tense relationships, and a shrinking inner circle bolstered by an unprecedented health crisis.
Less than two years into his tenure as monarch, King Charles III announced his cancer diagnosis, reducing his public duties to recover. The Princess of Wales is also unable to carry out public duties, dealing with her own cancer diagnosis.
The number of working royals has been steadily shrinking since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back in 2020, and Prince Andrew was stripped of his titles and patronages due to US civil action over sexual assault allegations.
In this exclusive event for The Independent, Assistant Editor Vicki Harper and a panel of royal experts will analyse the current state of the shrinking Royal Family, look back at how we got here, and explore the potential next moves for “the firm” to stay relevant.
Find out more here:
Is the shrinking Royal Family on the brink of collapse? Join our event
Our expert panel will explore the diminishing inner circle of the Royal Family – and discuss the potential next moves for “the firm” to stay relevant
Tara Cobham1 September 2024 17:00 1725199226ITV to air documentary about Queen’s domestic violence campaigning
The Queen was followed over the course of a year for a documentary looking at her work raising awareness of domestic violence.
ITV announced it has commissioned Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, which will air later in 2024.
Film crews were given exclusive access to Camilla, who has worked for many years to highlight the problem of domestic abuse, and she will be shown in never-before-seen private meetings with survivors.
Laura Elston reports:
ITV to air documentary about Queen’s domestic violence campaigning
A film crew followed Camilla through the year and the 90-minute programme will be shown later in 2024.
Tara Cobham1 September 2024 15:00 Newer1 / 4OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
