Meghan Markle Is Not Joining Prince Harry for His Return to the U.K.
Why Meghan Markle Won’t Join Prince Harry for His Upcoming Visit to the U.K.
Meghan Markle is supporting Prince Harry from afar.
After it was announced that Harry will be returning to the United Kingdom in May—just three months after his visit with dad Prince Charles III—E! News has learned that Meghan will not be by his side for his trip across the pond.
Instead, the Duchess of Sussex—who shares children Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2, with Harry—will remain at the couple’s home in California before reuniting with her husband for their visit to Nigeria later that month.
Harry’s upcoming visit will be in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games Foundation, which he founded in 2014 to honor wounded active and veteran members of the armed forces.
The Duke of Sussex will attend the “Special Service of Thanksgiving” on May 8 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, according to a post shared by the organization on social media April 28. Actor Damian Lewis, as well as other members of the organization, will also be in attendance.
While Meghan will not be by Harry’s side for the event, she’s shown her support for the organization in the past. In fact, they made their debut as a couple during the 2017 Games in Toronto. And seven years later Meghan and Harry spent Valentine’s Day together at an Invictus Games tournament in British Columbia, Canada.
Harry’s upcoming visit to the U.K. may surprise dedicated royal family fans. After stepping back from royal duties in 2020, the younger brother of Prince William has only returned to the United Kingdom a handful of times. The 39-year-old’s February visit came amid the news that his dad had been diagnosed with cancer.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
“I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could,” Harry told Good Morning America Feb. 16, just a few days after being photographed in the U.K. “I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.”
And while Harry and Meghan have otherwise tended to stay out of royal news this year, there is plenty to catch up on. Read on for everything to know about the royals all over the world.
Handout/Millie Pilkington/Buckingham Palace via Getty Images
Returning to Public Duties
On April 26, nearly three months after sharing his cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles will return to public-facing duties.
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Queen Camilla Attends Royal Maundy Service
The queen consort attended the Royal Maundy Service on March 28 in place of King Charles III, making her the first spouse of the Monarch to continue the ancient tradition.
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Kate Middleton Shares Cancer Diagnosis
In a March 22 video message, the Princess of Wales shared that she’d been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January.
“It was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful,” she said before noting that tests after the operation found cancer had been present. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
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Kate Middleton Apologizes for Edited Family Photo Controversy
After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she tweeted on March 11. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
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Lady Kitty Spencer Privately Welcomes Baby
Princess Diana’s niece celebrated Mother’s Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby.
“It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally,” she captioned her March 10 Instagram post. “Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today.”
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Queen Camilla Takes a Break
After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband’s cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla’s schedule.
The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn’t have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she’d be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.
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Thomas Kensington Dies at 45
The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner’s inquest found that he died by suicide.
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King Charles Diagnosed With Cancer
While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer.
“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties,” Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. “Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”
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Sarah Ferguson Is Diagnosed With a Second Type of Cancer
The Duchess of York’s rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.
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Queen Margrethe II of Denmark Abdicates the Throne
On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th.
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Kate Middleton Is Hospitalized
Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.
“Based on the current medical advice,” the Palace said, “she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
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Prince William Adjusting His Schedule
Amid Kate’s recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
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King Charles III Undergoing Treatment
Shortly after Kate’s hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles “has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate.”
“His Majesty’s condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure,” the statement added. “The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.”
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Luxembourg Welcomes a New Baby
Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!
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