Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'have NO plans to see William and Kate' for a reconciliatory meeting when they fly back to Britain for charity summit despite staying just five minutes away from them - but 'may still visit the Queen', 96

  • The Sussexes are in Manchester and London during their visit to the UK in early September for charity work
  • No plans in their current schedule indicate Prince Harry and Meghan will see the Cambridges, sources claim
  • Harry and William have not spoken face-to-face since they unveiled a statue of their mother Princess Diana

Advertisement

Harry and Meghan will visit the UK next month – but are not set to see William and Kate.

On September 5 the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel from their home in California to visit Manchester for the One Young World Summit, which brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries. Meghan, 40, will give the keynote address at the opening ceremony. 

The couple will then head to Germany for an event to commemorate a year until the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf on September 6, before returning to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London on September 8 where Prince Harry will deliver a speech.

It is the first time the couple will be in the UK since the Jubilee celebrations in June, when they kept a low profile. They also visited in April, when they secretly met with Charles and the Queen on their way to the Netherlands 

Brothers Prince William and Prince Harry have not spoken face-to-face since they unveiled a statue of their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales last summer.

The Duke of Cambridge and his family are moving from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, just a ten-minute walk from Windsor Castle, later this month.

If the Sussexes stay at their home, Frogmore Cottage, will only be a short five-minute walk from the Cambridges, who will be just 800m away when they relocate to Adelaide in the next few weeks.

It will be the first time the two couples have been neighbours since Prince Harry and Meghan moved out of Kensington Palace in 2019.

But a source reportedly said the Sussexes’s visit will be focused on 'supporting several charities close to their hearts', and they have no plans to see the Cambridges. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured at Global Citizen Live in New York in September 2021) are set to visit the UK next month but have no plans to visit Prince William and Kate, instead focusing on their charity work, a source has revealed

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured at Global Citizen Live in New York in September 2021) are set to visit the UK next month but have no plans to visit Prince William and Kate, instead focusing on their charity work, a source has revealed

Editor of Majesty Magazine, Ingrid Seward, told the Sun: 'I don't think they would bump into one another unless it was pre-arranged.

'I suppose one could go round with some flowers as a peace offering, but remember what happened last time,' referring to claims that Meghan threw flowers from Kate in the bin after a row over bridesmaids dresses before Harry and Meghan wed in 2018.

It is thought unlikely the couple will bring their children Archie, three, and Lilibet, 14 months. Harry began legal action against the Government when he was told he would no longer be given the ‘same degree’ of protection here after stepping back from royal life in 2020.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment. But a source told The Daily Telegraph that the visit would come during a busy week with ‘lots of moving parts’. The couple’s spokesman said: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are delighted to visit with several charities close to their hearts in early September.’

The UK visit comes just weeks ahead of Prince Harry's expected book launch in October, written by Pulitzer prize-winning ghostwriter JR Moehringer, which promises 'to reveal a first-hand account of his life' which is 'accurate and wholly truthful'.

The couple are likely to want to spend time with the Queen after enjoying 'barely 15 minutes' her during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations this summer, according to royal watchers.

Earlier this month, the Queen invited Harry and Meghan to join her at her Highland retreat, The Sun reported. 

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams suggested a meeting with the monarch would be more likely to take place in London or Windsor, either of which are close to the Cambridges located in Kensington Palace.

He told MailOnline: 'The reports that the Queen had invited Harry and Meghan to Balmoral were never confirmed. However it would only make sense for them to see her when she is at Windsor and when they are based at Frogmore, as they could only spend a very little time with her during the Platinum Jubilee.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pictured watching the flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force at the Buckingham Palace balcony in July 2018

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pictured watching the flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force at the Buckingham Palace balcony in July 2018

Harry and Meghan are visiting Manchester and London and if they stay at Frogmore Cottage will be close to the Queen and William. The Duke of Cambridge (pictured leaving the Friday Jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral in June) and his family are relocating from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, just a ten-minute walk from Windsor Castle, later this month

Harry and Meghan are visiting Manchester and London and if they stay at Frogmore Cottage will be close to the Queen and William. The Duke of Cambridge (pictured leaving the Friday Jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral in June) and his family are relocating from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, just a ten-minute walk from Windsor Castle, later this month

The Queen's diary may present challenges if the couple hope to see her in London or Windsor during their visit next month

The Queen's diary may present challenges if the couple hope to see her in London or Windsor during their visit next month 

'If she does come down as anticipated, she may receive the new Prime Minister at Windsor or at Buckingham Palace. There would also be time for her and the Sussexes to discuss the future, which hopefully will be more constructive than the recent past. 

'They also must be aware that some form of reconciliation in the Platinum Jubilee year would surely be beneficial for the image they want as philanthropists.'

How Harry and Meghan's visit could clash with the Queen's official duties  

September 5 (Monday) - Sussexes will travel to Manchester for the One Young World Summit, an event which brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries. 

On the same day the new Prime Minister will be announced.

After their trip to Manchester Harry and Meghan will head to Germany for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year to Go event.

6 (Tuesday) - The new PM will go to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen. 

8 (Thursday) - Sussexes return to the UK for the WellChild Awards on September 8. 

Advertisement

Today's announcement comes just weeks after it emerged Harry had filed a second lawsuit against the government and Scotland Yard over the decision not to allow him to pay for police protection when he visits from California. 

The Duke of Sussex is already suing the Home Office over its decision in 2020 to remove his taxpayer-funded protection, which he says makes it unsafe for him to come to Britain with his wife, Meghan Markle, and two children, Archie and Lilibet. 

The couple made only one public appearance over the Jubilee weekend, despite flying in from the United States with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.

They didn't appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping of the Color and were also seemingly relegated to the second row during the Thanksgiving service.

Palace aides were said to have choreographed timing for the Platinum Jubilee service to ensure that William and Kate didn't bump into Meghan and Harry.

The couple sat apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla in the church after royal aides ensured they sat on separate sides of the aisle.

Departure and arrival times were also carefully considered by Palace aides, so as to avoid the brothers and their spouses bumping into each other.

Harry and William have had a long-standing feud, while the Duke of Sussex has also accused his father of cutting him off financially while Meghan claimed an unnamed royal made a comment about Archie's skin tone before he was born, which she told Oprah Winfrey last year in a bombshell interview.

Harry's new legal case against the Home Office is understood to still be at an early phase, with no hearings yet scheduled. 

The Sussexes will travel to Manchester for the One Young World Summit, an event which brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries, on September 5 (pic: The couple at St Paul's Cathedral on June 3 during their last UK visit)

The Sussexes will travel to Manchester for the One Young World Summit, an event which brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries, on September 5 (pic: The couple at St Paul's Cathedral on June 3 during their last UK visit)

The couple (pictured at the UN last month before Harry's speech) will also visit Germany as part of their trip to support 'several charities close to their hearts', their spokesperson said

The couple (pictured at the UN last month before Harry's speech) will also visit Germany as part of their trip to support 'several charities close to their hearts', their spokesperson said 

It will focus on a decision in January by the Royalty and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), which concluded that private individuals should not be allowed to pay for police to protect them. 

The revelation of a second court case - which emerged on Meghan's birthday - threatens to raise tensions with the Royal Family due to claims that the Queen's Private Secretary, Sir Edward Young, was involved in the decision to deny Harry protection.

'Significant tensions' are said to have existed between the Duke of Sussex and Sir Edward, according to the prince's legal team. 

The Duke has been taking legal action against the department after being told he would no longer be given the 'same degree' of personal protective security when visiting from the US.

His representatives have previously told of how he wants to bring his family to visit from the US, but that they are 'unable to return to his home' because it is too dangerous.

The case is understood to have cost the Home Office £90,094.79 from September 2021 and May earlier this year. 

That sum is understood to include £55,254 on the government's Legal Department, £34,824 on counsel and £16.55 on couriers, The Sun reports.

Meanwhile, the Cambridges are set to escape the 'goldfish bowl of Kensington Palace for a quieter life at the heart of the Windsor Estate - but will be without a live-in nanny for the first time since Prince George was born when they move home.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 40, are reportedly set to uproot their family from Kensington, west London, to Adelaide Cottage in Berkshire this summer.

It will mean the couple and their family are closer to the Queen; who has in recent months faced episodic mobility issues and has spent much of her time at Windsor Castle.

The Duke of Cambridge and his family are relocating from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, just a ten-minute walk from Windsor Castle, later this month. If the Sussexes stay at their home, Frogmore Cottage, will only be a two minute drive from the Cambridges

The Duke of Sussex has begun a second court case against the Home Office over its decision in 2020 to remove his taxpayer-funded protection. The Sussexes are pictured in New Zealand in 2018

The Duke of Sussex has begun a second court case against the Home Office over its decision in 2020 to remove his taxpayer-funded protection. The Sussexes are pictured in New Zealand in 2018

The move to the four-bedroom home on the Windsor estate will mean 'not having a live-in nanny for the first time in their children's lives'.

However it will also allow the Cambridges to bring up their three young children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, away from the hustle and bustle of central London.

And it will emulate the efforts of William's mother, Princess Diana, who is said to have wanted to create a 'normal and private' life for him and Prince Harry - despite their royal status.

There will no longer be space for live-in nanny, Maria Borrallo, when the family of five relocate to the four-bedroomed cottage in Windsor. She has been on hand 24 hours a day for George, Charlotte and Louis since 2014.

What is Harry's concern with UK security and why is he taking legal action?

Are Harry and his family covered by security arrangements currently?

He and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, personally fund a private protection team in the US for their family. The Sussexes have signed multimillion-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, with Harry telling Oprah Winfrey he secured these to pay for his security.

But he and Meghan lost their taxpayer-funded police protection in the UK in the aftermath of quitting as senior working royals.

Why did they lose their taxpayer-funded security?

Their security provision was one of the key issues when the couple announced they wanted to step down in 2020. Speaking to Winfrey during the couple's sit-down interview in 2021, Harry said he was told that 'due to our change of status - we would no longer be 'official' members of the royal family'.

He said he had been shocked by this and 'pushed back' on the issue, arguing that there had been no change of threat or risk to the couple. Meghan, during the same interview, told how she had written to her husband's family urging them not to 'pull his security', but had been told 'it's just not possible'.

At the time of announcing their stepping back from royal life in 2020, their website suggested the Home Office, through the Metropolitan Police, should continue to provide protection for the couple and Archie, their only child at the time.

Have they offered to pay for police protection in the UK themselves?

Yes. Harry wants to fund the security himself, rather than ask taxpayers to foot the bill, his legal representative said. He first offered to personally pay for police protection in the UK for himself and his family during the so-called Sandringham summit in January 2020, but the legal representative said that offer 'was dismissed'.

The representative added that Harry 'remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer'.

Can they use the same security team they have while in the US?

Harry's legal representative said that while the couple personally fund a private security team for their family, 'that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK'. His argument is that the US team does not have adequate jurisdiction abroad or access to UK intelligence information which is needed to keep the Sussex family safe. 

What threats do the couple see themselves as facing in the UK? 

In a statement, the legal representative said: 'He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats. While his role within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family.'

Will the couple return to the UK if the issue is not resolved in the way they would like?

A spokesperson for the duke has said that, in the absence of what they consider to be the necessary protection, 'Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home'. They insisted the UK 'will always be Prince Harry's home', adding that it is 'a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in'. But they added: 'With the lack of police protection, comes too great a personal risk.'  

Advertisement

Dai Davies, an ex-head of royal security at Scotland Yard, said it was surprising the Sussexes had announced details of the trip so far in advance.

‘The more time an individual has to plan and prepare the more the risk rises,’ he said.

However, their young children will not have Spanish Norland nanny Maria Borrallo on hand when he do, because she will live elsewhere, according to The Telegraph

Ms Borrallo was hired by Kate and William to help look after Prince George when he was eight months old. She now cares for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis too. 

The 'Spanish supernanny' trained at the prestigious Norland College which has been producing childminders for the rich and famous since 1892. 

Re-erected in 1831, the Cambridge's new Grade II-listed retreat is just a short walk from St George's Chapel and Windsor Castle, and sits proudly on the 655-acre royal estate in Berkshire.

Sources close to the family suggest the Cambridges were keen to be closer to the Queen, 96, who has suffered episodic mobility issues in recent months and also secure a good school for their three children. 

George, Charlotte and Louis will be pulled out of their current prep school in Battersea and are all expected to start school locally when the new academic term begins in September.

The move also represents a fresh start for the senior royals and their five-strong family as they continue to cement their place among the most influential members of The Firm. 

News of the Sussex's return to the UK comes as a new royal biography made bombshell claims about the Duchess of Sussex.

Tom Bower, author of a new insider's account of the royal couple titled Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors, said the Duchess 'thought the royal family would be like Hollywood.'

Speaking to Ben Shephard and Charlotte Hawkins on Good Morning Britain he claimed that once Meghan realised the royal family was 'lots of work and little reward', she didn't like it anymore.

The author said: 'It's wrong to say she was a famous actress, she wasn't, she was a third rate actress, Suits was only watched by a million people.'

During the interview, the author admitted that many of his sources were people who don't like Meghan because she'd warned her nearest and dearest not to speak to him.

Shephard said to Bower: 'She was a very famous actress. She had a high profile in Hollywood and Suits is a series that was streamed all over the world, so people knew who she was.'

Bower disagreed with the host, referring to Meghan's cover story with Vanity Fair while she was dating Prince Harry. 

 'Well we won't argue but I disagree with you,' he said. 'The point is, until she met Harry, even Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair who commissioned the article, never heard of her and never heard of Suits.

'He was just told that anyone who marries Harry is going to be famous and she indeed was.'

'She said to her father ''I want to be famous, I want to walk down the red carpet'' and by marrying Harry she achieved exactly that ambition.' 

The biographer went on to say he believes the royal family tried very hard to accommodate Meghan and include her in the family.

He claimed: 'People were very excited by the fact that there was a mixed race girl coming', adding: 'It was going to be a great development for the royal family.'

However, he said 'it went wrong' and why it went wrong he said he has 'explained fully' in his new book.

'Both sides are to blame but I believe the blame lies mostly with Meghan, who I don't think understood the monarchy,' he claimed. 

The author went on to admit he got a lot of his information for the book from people who don't like Meghan because she had warned the people closest to her not to speak to him.

He said: 'She made it pretty clear to all her friends and people who work for her not to talk to me, so it was quite an uphill struggle but I got enough people to speak to me, more than enough, I got about 80 people.' 

Shephard asked Bower how the book could be an unbiased account if we know the people interviewed already don't like Meghan.

The author said: 'Because I sifted through, I never put in stuff that isn't true and can't be checked.

'You know I have some admiration for how Meghan succeeded quite well in her life with her ambitions and I was able to balance it all.'

 

I’m nothing like how they show me in The Crown, jokes Charles

By Michael Blackley, Scottish Political Editor for the Daily Mail

Prince Charles believes he is ‘nowhere near’ his portrayal on The Crown, a senior politician revealed yesterday.

The next in line to the throne has never publicly commented on the Netflix series, which critics claim is full of inaccuracies.

But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has revealed that Charles gave his opinion to MSPs when he attended the state opening of the Scottish Parliament last October.

Prince Charles believes he is ‘nowhere near’ his portrayal on The Crown, a senior politician revealed yesterday. Pictured, Emma Corrin as Princess Diana and Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles in the Netflix series

Prince Charles believes he is ‘nowhere near’ his portrayal on The Crown, a senior politician revealed yesterday. Pictured, Emma Corrin as Princess Diana and Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles in the Netflix series

Normal protocol is that politicians should not disclose what royals say to them.

However, speaking at an Edinburgh Fringe event, he said that when Charles met MSPs at a multi-faith ceremony in Edinburgh before the state opening, ‘he came over and went, “Hello, nice to meet you all. I’m nowhere near how they portray me on Netflix”’.

Mr Sarwar added: ‘I thought that was a really interesting way of how you describe yourself.’ He then told the audience at the Gilded Balloon: ‘I’m going to be in so much trouble for this because I don’t think you are meant to tell private conversations!’ Clarence House declined to comment.

 

Florida judge sets October 2023 trial date for Samantha Markle's lawsuit against Meghan and says she wants speedy trial rather than trade 'wasteful' legal actions - after Duchess of Sussex claimed being an 'only child' was a 'feeling' not a 'fact'

By Emma James for DailyMail.com 

Florida judge has set a trial date for Samantha Markle’s defamation case against her half-sister Meghan and is demanding that the case be tried in a ‘speedy’ manner.

Samantha Markle, 57, is suing her half-sister Meghan for damages, claiming Meghan defamed and embarrassed her by saying in her Oprah interview that she was raised as an ‘only child’.

She claims the Duchess of Sussex, 41, peddled a 'rags to riches' tale, and also over comments in Finding Freedom, the book penned by Meghan's close friend Omid Scobie. 

Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has now ordered both sides to make submissions in a swift manner, adding that she wanted to make it ‘inexpensive’.

The Duchess of Sussex’s team previously moved for the defamation case to be dismissed, claiming that it was a ‘feeling’ and not a ‘fact’ that she grew up as an ‘only child.’

Samantha says the ‘false’ statement not only undermined everything she had said previously about having a link to Meghan as her half-sister, but that it also humiliated her and caused her distress.

She is also suing over comments made about her in Finding Freedom, a book Meghan and Harry advised and informed but did not write.

A judge has now dismissed Meghan's attempt to get the defamation lawsuit from her sister thrown out, and has set out a timetable of events for the hearing.  Samantha claims that during an interview with Oprah, pictured, Meghan falsely claimed that she was an 'only child'

A judge has now dismissed Meghan's attempt to get the defamation lawsuit from her sister thrown out, and has set out a timetable of events for the hearing.  Samantha claims that during an interview with Oprah, pictured, Meghan falsely claimed that she was an 'only child'

The Duchess of Sussex’s team previously moved for the defamation case to be dismissed, claiming that it was a ‘feeling’ and not a ‘fact’ that she grew up as an ‘only child.’ But Samantha, pictured with her half-sister Meghan Markle at her graduation in 2008, and her lawyers say they have 'viable proof'

The Duchess of Sussex’s team previously moved for the defamation case to be dismissed, claiming that it was a ‘feeling’ and not a ‘fact’ that she grew up as an ‘only child.’ But Samantha, pictured with her half-sister Meghan Markle at her graduation in 2008, and her lawyers say they have 'viable proof'

Samantha alleges that Meghan lied when she claimed she 'essentially raised herself from virtual poverty' and from 13 had to take on low-paying jobs to 'make ends meet'

Samantha alleges that Meghan lied when she claimed she 'essentially raised herself from virtual poverty' and from 13 had to take on low-paying jobs to 'make ends meet'

Meghan claims that she cannot be held liable for either, and in one legal filing, she asserts that it was her opinion and not a ‘fact’ that she was brought up an only child.

Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell, pictured, has now ordered both sides to make submissions in a swift manner and set a potential trial date for October 2023

Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell, pictured, has now ordered both sides to make submissions in a swift manner and set a potential trial date for October 2023

She also says that because she is not the author or publisher of Finding Freedom, she shouldn’t be held accountable for any of its contents.

But Judge Honeywell is allowing it to proceed, and the pair must agree on a mediator by the end of September, and complete discovery by May next year.

If they fail to settle or resolve the case in mediation, a trial date has been set for October 2, 2023, which would last no longer than five days.

In previous court documents Meghan dismissed Samantha's complaints about information in Finding Freedom, a book by Omid Scobie, saying she can't be blamed for that because she didn't write the book. 

Samantha, the daughter of Thomas Markle, Meghan's father, claims the Duchess of Sussex launched a 'premeditated campaign to destroy' her and her father's reputation.

Samantha believed that her sister tried to ruin their credibility so 'they could not interfere with or contradict the false narrative and fairy tale life story concocted by the defendant'

Samantha believed that her sister tried to ruin their credibility so 'they could not interfere with or contradict the false narrative and fairy tale life story concocted by the defendant'

The Duchess of Sussex's lawyers previously said that Meghan saying she 'grew up as an only child' can't be false because it is a 'textbook example of a subjective statement about how a person feels about her childhood'

The Duchess of Sussex's lawyers previously said that Meghan saying she 'grew up as an only child' can't be false because it is a 'textbook example of a subjective statement about how a person feels about her childhood'

Samantha also hits out at Scobie and Carolyn Durand's book Finding Freedom, which she dubs her sister's 'fairy tale life story'
Finding Freedom author, Meghan's friend Omid Scobie

Samantha also hits out at the book Finding Freedom, written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, which she dubs her sister's 'fairy tale life story' as well as 'a book of lies'

She claims her sister tried to ruin their credibility so 'they could not interfere with or contradict the false narrative and fairy tale life story concocted by the defendant'.

She also alleges Meghan lied when she claimed she 'essentially raised herself from virtual poverty' and from 13 had to take on low-paying jobs to 'make ends meet'.

Meanwhile Samantha launched an astonishing broadside on her sister's friend and biographer Omid Scobie as she blasted Finding Freedom as 'a book of lies'.

Meghan's lawyer has previously hit back at the lawsuit, claiming it was 'baseless' and they would give it 'the minimum attention necessary'. Scobie also dismissed the claims.

The sisters are thought to have last seen each other in 2008 but they have butted heads over versions of their childhoods in recent years.

Meghan's lawyers claim that because she is not the author or publisher of Finding Freedom, she shouldn’t be held accountable for any of its contents

Meghan's lawyers claim that because she is not the author or publisher of Finding Freedom, she shouldn’t be held accountable for any of its contents

If they fail to settle or resolve the case in mediation, a trial date has been set for October 2, 2023, which would last no longer than five days. Pictured: Meghan with her father Thomas Markle, from whom she is also estranged

If they fail to settle or resolve the case in mediation, a trial date has been set for October 2, 2023, which would last no longer than five days. Pictured: Meghan with her father Thomas Markle, from whom she is also estranged

Samantha released a book about her sister last year titled The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister: A Memoir, Part One

Samantha released a book about her sister last year titled The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister: A Memoir, Part One

Samantha's rocky relationship with Meghan exploded into public view after her sister's engagement to Prince Harry was announced in 2017.

She was quoted by journalists as saying 'The Queen would be appalled' and called her a 'ducha**' on Twitter.

She gave numerous interviews attacking the Duchess but has since backtracked and complimented her.

Samantha released a book about her sister last year titled The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister: A Memoir, Part One.

It lays bare details of the Markles' upbringing, including the rivalry when their father was still married to the actress's mother Doria Ragland.

But Samantha also writes of her adoration for Meghan as a baby and described the infant as 'bi-racial, beautiful, and was both the color of a peach, and a rose'.

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.