EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry is back in the UK sooner than expected – and a palace insider hopes the family will recover after a painful year.
The Duke of Sussex was originally scheduled to return in July to join his older brother Prince William in front of the statue honoring their late mother, Princess Diana. She would have turned 60 on July 1.
However, the 36-year-old arrived on Sunday to attend the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99 on Friday. Harry traveled solo while his wife Meghan Markle stayed in California with their nearly 2-year-old son. Archie.
The Duchess of Sussex is expecting her second child, a girl who will appear this summer. The 39-year-old was advised not to travel by a doctor.
QUARANTINE PRINCE HARRY IN HIS AND MEGHAN MARKLE’S FROGMORE STAY AT THE FORE OF PRINCE PHILIP’S FUNERAL
Prince Harry and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh attend the Fields of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on November 10, 2016 in London, England.
(Getty Images)
The funeral will take place on Saturday. It will also be the first time Harry has come face to face with the royal family in public since he and his wife relinquished royal duties last March.
While that departure left a huge rift in the palace, family relations took another plunge last month when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave a bomb tell-all to Oprah Winfrey that was viewed by nearly 50 million people worldwide.
“It’s all speculation right now as to what will happen,” True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen told Fox News. But at funerals, weddings and births, families are often reunited. And I think both William and Harry will know – and will know – that the Duke of Edinburgh would like them to be reunited. ‘
The award-winning documentary maker has been making programs about the royal family for nearly 20 years and has worked closely with Harry’s father Prince Charles for eight years.
PRINCE HARRY ARRIVES IN UK FORWARD GRANDFATHER PRINCE PHILIP’S FUNERAL
In this October 31, 2015 file photo, Britain’s Prince Harry, on the left, and his brother Prince William, on the right, stand next to their grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, as they await the start of the Rugby World Cup final between New York and New York. Zealand and Australia at Twickenham Stadium, London. Philip’s grandson Prince Harry, who retired from royal duties last year and now lives in California, will attend the service along with other members of the royal family, palace officials said. His wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant and has been advised by her doctor not to make the trip.
(AP Photo / Alastair Grant)
Bullen said it is now more important than ever for “The Firm” to create a united front for the grieving queen who lost her 73-year-old husband.
“Let’s all hope this is a catalyst for them to heal,” said Bullen. ‘Especially in the interest of the queen. It is important that all members of the royal family move in the same direction as she enters her platinum anniversary year. So fingers crossed that this is a positive meeting. ‘
It wouldn’t be the first time William, 38, and Harry have shared grief. More than two decades ago, the brothers attended another royal funeral – that of their mother, who died in 1997 at the age of 36.
On Saturday, William and Harry are expected to join the other senior royals and walk behind their grandfather’s casket as the funeral procession makes its way through Windsor Castle.
THE DEATH OF PRINCE PHILIP WILL CLAIM PRINCE HARRY TO REVIEW HIS FAMILY WITHIN THAN EXPECTED, THE AUTHOR CONTINUES
Prince Harry (left) previously told Oprah Winfrey that his relationship with older brother Prince William (right) is ‘space’.
(Getty Images)
At least from 2019 onwards, it was clear that Harry wanted to take a break from the monarchy’s constraints to create his own story. That year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex split from the Royal Foundation, originally set up as the brothers’ joint charity, so they could have their own platform.
The princes’ separate statements this week in tribute to Philip reflected their personalities and different styles. While William stated that he and his wife Kate Middleton “will continue to do whatever [Philip] would have liked and will support The Queen for years to come, ‘Harry’s tone was much more casual and light-hearted.
The younger brother praised Philip for being ‘authentic himself’ and thanked him for his ‘dedication to grandma’. He also wrote, “As long as I could go on, I know that right now he would say to all of us, beer in hand, ‘Oh, keep going.'”
After Harry and Markle got married at Windsor Castle in May 2018, the royal family appeared to be welcoming the Duchess of Sussex, a glamorous former TV star. The pair were seen as a fresh young face for the monarchy of an increasingly multicultural country.
FLASHBACK: PRINCE HARRY RESTORES PRINCE PHILIP’S ZOOM CALL WITH QUEEN ELIZABETH II
This image from Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, from the left, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, talking to Oprah Winfrey.
(AP)
It didn’t take long for the fairytale to fall apart.
The couple retired from royal duties last year and eventually settled in California, where they said they wanted to escape racist coverage and unwelcome invasions of their privacy by the British media.
Harry acknowledged to Winfrey that he and his brother are walking “different paths”.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Prince William and Prince Harry in happier times.
(Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“I love William very much,” Harry explained. ‘He is my brother. We’ve been through hell together. But we are on different paths. ‘
While Harry described his relationship with William as ‘space’, the prince stressed that he ‘will always be there for him’.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.