Prince Harry to travel to UK in May
The Duke of Sussex is to travel to Britain for the first time since his father announced his return to public duties following cancer treatment.
Prince Harry will give a reading during a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on May 8 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
He last visited Britain in early February, when he flew over for a brief visit with the King after his cancer diagnosis was made public.
Shortly afterwards, in an interview, he said he hoped to “stop in and see my family as much as I can.”
A spokesman for the Invictus Games confirmed the Duke’s attendance but did not mention the Duchess of Sussex or their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
They are not expected to attend. Nor are any senior members of the Royal family.
Neither the Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex nor Buckingham Palace confirmed any plans for Prince Harry to meet his father, although both have made clear their willingness to spend time together should their diaries permit.
It will also be the first visit to Britain for the Duke since he lost a court appeal about his security arrangements.
He must give 28 days’ notice of his intention to visit Britain, in order for the Home Office to assess his security needs and arrange provision.
The Duke or his office must also make a formal request should he wish to stay overnight at a royal residence, having left Frogmore Cottage, his former Windsor residence.
As such, the Duke is likely to stay in a hotel, as he has done during recent visits to Britain.
There is no suggestion he will see his brother the Prince of Wales. The Wales family are currently in Windsor while the Princess of Wales undergoes a course of chemotherapy.
On Monday, the Prince and Princess will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary in private.
Challenges for Duke
Prince Harry is expected to hold other meetings and engagements during his trip to London. He has retained links with some charities, including WellChild and Scotty’s Little Soldiers.
The Service of Thanksgiving will celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games Foundation, and is advertised as “marking a decade of changing lives and saving lives through sport”.
Guests will include competitors from the participating nations, including wounded, injured and sick service personnel and the veteran community, as well as support staff.
Some guests will also give readings at the service, which will be led by The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of St Paul’s.
Earlier this year, the Duke and Duchess attended a launch event for the new winter version of the games in Whistler, Canada.
The last full tournament was in Düsseldorf, Germany, last year, where the Duchess made headlines by telling a crowd: “We’re going to be cheering for you and we can’t wait to one day be able to bring our kids also so they can experience just how amazing this is.”
Birmingham is currently in the process of bidding to be a host city.
The London event, and future games in the UK, raises some challenges for the Duke, who made his frustration with his security arrangements clear in court.
The communication between his office and the palace has also been limited in recent years.
The Duke and Duchess have recently recruited a new UK-based PR spokesman, who will oversee publicity surrounding Prince Harry’s appearance at the service.
They are also understood to have retained the expertise of longstanding aides Beth Herlihy and Clara Loughran, who worked at the palace and are now partners at company Herlihy Loughran, to help make arrangements around Invictus.
