Prince Harry Leaves London, 24 Hours After Arriving
Prince Harry has left London, just 24 hours after arriving yesterday to see his father, King Charles. The Duke of Sussex was pictured at Heathrow Airport this morning, arriving in the private Windsor Suite.
Multiple outlets have reported that Harry stayed in a hotel last night, rather than a royal residence. (He and Meghan Markle moved out of their Frogmore Cottage home last year at the request of the King.)
Yesterday, Prince Harry spent around 30 to 45 minutes with his father at Clarence House, before Charles, along with Camilla, departed for Buckingham Palace to take a helicopter to Sandringham. You can see the King's helicopter taking off here:
Prince Harry and his father have had a tumultuous relationship in recent years; upon the release of his memoir, Spare, Harry confirmed he was not currently speaking to his father, or his brother, Prince William. Yet, in his memoir, he writes lovingly of Charles, and acknowledges his father's shortcomings.
"He had trouble communicating, trouble listening, trouble being intimate face-to-face," Harry writes. "On occasion, after a long multi-course dinner, I’d walk upstairs and find a letter on my pillow. The letter would say how proud he was of me for something I’d done or accomplished. I’d smile, place it under my pillow, but also wonder why he hadn’t said this moments ago, while seated directly across from me."
A car carrying Prince Harry is driven to Clarence House in London on February 6.
It's unclear if Harry saw any other family members while he was back in the UK. A source confirmed to T&C that Prince William had no plans to see Harry while he was visiting. Today, the Prince of Wales held his first public engagement since his wife Kate Middleton's abdominal surgery.
Prince Harry's very quick trip is in line with his visits since moving to California. In September 2023, he returned briefly for the WellChild Awards before going to Germany, and he was in town for less than 48 hours for his father's coronation in May 2023.
Next week, Harry and Meghan are set to travel to Canada to celebrate one year to go until the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler. The Sussexes will spend three days carrying out engagements in advance of the first-ever winter edition of the sporting competition.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
