One of Prince Harry’s close family members is heading across the Atlantic – weeks after the Sussexes missed out on another royal family Christmas at Sandringham
One of Prince Harry’s close relatives is heading to the States this week and its left fans wondering whether a reunion is on the cards.
The Duke is now all but estranged from the royals following his and Meghan’s repeated criticisms of the monarchy. According to reports, older brother Prince William has completely cut ties with the couple, while Harry’s bond with his father is said to be incredibly fractured.
The 40-year-old is also said to have fallen out of favour with his wider relatives too, including Prince Edward, who will be spending time in America this week.
Edward, who is King Charles’s youngest sibling, will represent the monarch at the funeral service for Jimmy Carter, who died aged 100 on 29 December 2024. The Prince will make a solo appearance at the service at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C. on Thursday. It remains unclear whether Edward will see Harry during his visit.
Other notable names who will be there to pay their final respects to the 39th US President include all five living presidents – Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump.
It comes after Harry and Meghan were once again absent from the royal family’s Christmas at Sandringham, instead spending it at their home in California.
The exact state of Harry’s relationship with his uncle Edward at this time isn’t known – but Edward and his wife Sophie have previously joked about the Sussexes and their criticism of the royals.
In March 2021, Harry and Meghan famously gave a tell-all interview to Oprah Winfrey in which they alleged there were ‘conversations’ about son Archie’s skin colour during their time as working royals. They also claimed that Harry had been financially cut off by his family.
Their bombshell allegations rocked the royals – so much so that Prince William broke his silence to defend the monarchy, firmly stating: “We’re very much not a racist family.”
His uncle Prince Edward and wife Sophie took a different approach, however. When asked about the much-discussed interview by The Telegraph, the Prince simply said, “Oprah, who?” while Sophie added with a laugh, “What interview?” Prior to that, Meghan had reportedly refused Sophie’s help in adjusting to life in the Royal Family.
The Duchess quit her acting career upon marrying Harry in 2018 and pledged to “hit the ground running” on becoming a working royal. But author and friend of the royals, Gyles Brandreth, wrote in his book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait: “The Queen (who, of course, had seen it all before) understood that Harry’s girl might find adjusting to Royal life ‘challenging to begin with’ (as she put it). ‘It is very jolty, but you soon get used to it’. That was Her Majesty’s experience going back many years.
“To help Meghan, the Queen suggested that her daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, would be an ideal mentor. ‘Sophie can help show you the ropes,’ said the Queen. “Meghan made it clear that she did not feel she needed Sophie’s help. She had Harry.”
In a rare interview, Sophie previously compared her experience of joining the royal family to Meghan’s, telling the Sunday Times: “Remember I’d had five years to adjust [to royal life]. And for our six-month engagement, I was even staying at Buckingham Palace. Not that you necessarily know how it will pan out.”
Speaking about the Sussexes exit from the firm, Sophie said: “I just hope they will be happy.” But she pointedly added that the royals do all they can to try to assist new members to adjust to the life, saying: “We all try to help any new members of the family.”
