Is it a shame Harry isn't meeting the King this month?
The Duke of Sussex is returning to the UK for his High Court trial
The Duke of Sussex is returning to the UK this month for his trial against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail.
And while Harry and his father the King are said to be on better terms and in regular contact following their 54-minute reunion in London last September (the pair hadn’t seen each other for 19 months prior), it sounds like father and son will not be meeting this time around.
The trial is set to start on 19 January. Charles is expected to be in Balmoral on this date, as he usually is for the month of January following Christmas. The Telegraph also reports that the King does not want to be associated with court proceedings so he’s keeping a wide berth on this occasion.
The High Court trial is expected to last nine weeks and will see Harry give evidence in the case against ANL regarding privacy breaches. Other high-profile witnesses include Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, who all allege that ANL carried out or commissioned unlawful activities, such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records, and accessing private phone conversations.
It’s not known when Harry will arrive exactly and how many days he will stay, but it sounds like a family reunion is definitely not on the cards.
Were you expecting Harry to meet up with his father, especially after their relationship appears to have thawed since their face-to-face meeting last autumn? Vote in the poll below and leave a comment.
Royal Club comments
At the time of that much-anticipated meeting in September, we asked whether you were happy that father and son had reunited. Here’s what some of our Clubbers said…
Kathy D said in part: “Yes, it's high time they reunited, especially because life is short and there are no guarantees about tomorrow. That being said, however, I hope there are apologies on both sides (mostly Harry’s) and true dialog about how (if) they can positively move forward; how Harry can perhaps be of help to his father and brother in the future as it pertains to the Monarchy into which he was born.”
Rita Davitt was more skeptical: “Meeting to engage in a dialogue, yes - reuniting, no! Harry has far to go to be trusted again in the family. Is it his wish to return & repair, or does he need money to support his wife's lifestyle, or even to fulfil some contract promise? I do not trust him, I can not imagine anyone in the family trusting him.”
Gail Catherwood noted: “Good on them to keep it quiet. It should not be a publicity stunt, it is 2 caring people coming together keeping everyone out of the conversation except the 2 of them.”
He needs to apologise first for his outrageous comments on the Royal Family.
For God's sake Harry is his son!!! I am sorry but Charles was not exactly a wonderful law abiding son and embarrassed the late Queen quite often! He does not have long to live with his illness and to treat his own blood by shunning him is disgusting. Surely he could make a trip down to London to spend a couple of hours with Harry. If Diana was alive she would have dropped everything to see Harry. Nothing that was written in the book (Spare) was not true. It had to come out eventually! So C3 should show the world he can have a big heart and welcome his son home.