Prince Harry UK return spotlights William rift

Prince Harry is preparing to return to the UK in the coming weeks with Meghan and their two children, putting renewed attention on whether he and Prince William can repair their relationship.

William, 44, and Harry, 41, have not been seen together publicly since September 2022, when their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II died. Their split has continued despite King Charles III's February 2024 announcement that he was receiving treatment for cancer.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has lived in California since he and Meghan left royal duties in 2020. In a February 2025 BBC interview, he said he missed the UK and wanted reconciliation with his family.

Harry and Meghan's children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, met privately with Charles and Queen Camilla in July. It was the first time the children had been with their grandfather since 2022.

Harry has acknowledged that his 2023 memoir, “Spare”, and his television interview with Oprah Winfrey damaged royal family relations. He told the BBC that some members of his family may never forgive him for writing the book, while adding that he would like reconciliation.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told AFP he believed William would be “very unhappy” about Harry's return, saying there was “a very deep rift”. Royal historian Ed Owens said reconciliation would be in the interests of both Charles and William, but expected it to take time.

William and Harry were united in public grief after the 1997 death of their mother, Princess Diana, when they walked behind her coffin in London. Their adult relationship has since been followed closely by the press, especially after Harry's marriage to Meghan in 2018 and the couple's departure from royal life.