It’s been nearly a year since Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and her family seems no closer to mending their ongoing rift.
Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died on Sept. 8, 2022, at age 96. Her grandson, Prince Harry, is in the U.K. to attend a charity awards ceremony, but a family reunion is likely not in the cards.
The Duke of Sussex, a long-time patron of the U.K. charity WellChild, will attend its annual ceremony in London on Sept. 7 to mark the achievements of seriously ill young people. He is not expected to be joined by his wife, Meghan Markle.
There is no official word yet on whether the Duke of Sussex will see any members of his family while he’s in the U.K. Spokespersons for Buckingham Palace and the prince, 38, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"It is my understanding that the Prince and Princess of Wales have no desire to meet with Harry – with or without Meghan Markle," Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, told Fox News Digital. "There is a severe lack of trust, and they don’t want the conversation repeated to anyone."
"I suspect that Prince William is dreading Prince Harry’s arrival," she said. "Especially when William and Catherine are expected to publicly acknowledge the anniversary of the late queen’s passing. Harry will be, no doubt, a distraction and will create conflicting headlines that the palace will not appreciate. He’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. … It’s a tough spot to be in, but Harry seems to be prioritizing philanthropy right now. I’m not surprised by his eagerness to attend."
"Prince Harry will likely mention the late queen in his speech at the WellChild Awards," Schofield continued. "From there, we can expect him to head quickly to Düsseldorf to kick off the Invictus Games. … The Duke of Sussex is not expected to visit Balmoral."
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that Harry’s visit to his home country will be brief. She also alleged that the Duke of Sussex won’t be heading to Balmoral Castle in Scotland where his father, King Charles III, is currently staying with his wife, Queen Camilla. She pointed out that the king will be keeping a low profile with no official engagements on the books as he privately mourns his mother.
The queen died at her beloved Scottish country estate.
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"Prince Harry won’t be meeting with either his father or brother," she predicted. "The king will spend the day reflecting, following in the footsteps of his mother, who would likewise spend Feb. 6, the day her father, King George VI, passed away, in Sandringham. Prince William will be in Wales with Kate and lead tributes to the late queen."
"Although Harry will be in England to speak at the WellChild ceremony in London the day before the first anniversary of the queen’s death, he will then fly directly to the Invictus Games, which are being held in Düsseldorf, Germany, starting on Sept. 9 where his wife, Meghan, will join him," Fordwich claimed. "The estrangement between Harry and William looks most unlikely to be repaired anytime soon. The senior royals are letting geographic distance in the U.K. serve as a convenient buffer."
"I understand that the queen’s family will mark the anniversary quietly and privately, which is entirely understandable," British royal commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti told Fox News Digital. "Some senior royals will be in Balmoral, where no doubt they will reflect privately on the anniversary. There won’t be a public event to mark the anniversary, but Prince William and Princess Catherine are to visit St Davids Cathedral in South Wales before visiting communities in the region. They are reported to be delivering a message to the nation in honor of the late queen’s legacy, but we don’t know how that will be delivered."
"Prince Harry is due to be in the U.K., but it’s not thought he will be visiting his father or brother," Sacerdoti pointed out. "He is due at a charity event the day before and is flying to Germany the day after the anniversary to open the Invictus Games. The late queen used to mark the anniversary of her own father’s death in Sandringham where she would go to church. It may be that Charles and Camilla will do the same for his mother’s anniversary."
Harry withdrew from the same charity awards ceremony last year, which was on Sept. 8, the day that the queen died. He instead flew to Scotland to be with other members of the royal family. At this year’s ceremony, Harry is expected to mingle with winners at the reception before delivering a speech and presenting one of the awards.
WellChild supports children and young people with long-term medical needs. Its annual awards aim to highlight their challenges and celebrate the caregivers who support them.
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Markle, 42, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018. The couple stepped back as senior royals in 2020. At the time, they cited what they saw as the media’s racist treatment of the duchess and a lack of support from the palace.
After moving to California, the couple aired their grievances in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. In late 2022, their six-part Netflix documentary was released, which detailed their love story and struggles with royal life. Then in January of this year, Harry’s memoir "Spare" was published. It unveiled his longtime rivalry with William, the heir to the throne, and the grief he endured after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
Schofield pointed out that while the king, 74, chose to spend the somber day in private, she wouldn’t be surprised if his younger son was on his mind.
"With recent reports that King Charles ‘overruled Prince William’ to welcome Prince Andrew back into the family … I question whether the king is missing his youngest son and searching for some stability and reconciliation," said Schofield. "The fact that Andrew, who is such an incredible PR nightmare, would be welcomed back with open arms so quickly is hard to comprehend."
Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital he isn’t surprised by claims that the royal family won’t be meeting with Harry. He said that the royals, on all sides, are choosing to put their duties first. And any so-called peace talks aren’t on the horizon, at least anytime soon.
Harry, who has been a patron of WellChild for 15 years, has attended 11 of its award ceremonies. His wife joined him at the awards in 2018 and 2019. It is one of the few organizations he retained from his royal life after making his exit in 2020, People magazine reported.
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"Harry is just passing through town on his way to the Invictus Games in Germany," said Andersen. "He isn’t interested in meeting with his royal relatives any more than they are interested in meeting with him. Both sides have made it crystal clear that they’re moving on, and that even a solemn occasion like the first anniversary of the late queen’s death hasn’t the power to heal the royal rift. This continues to be a stalemate."
"I think we’ll see peace in Ukraine before we see peace between the Sussexes and the Windsors," Andersen added.
