ROYAL insiders yesterday claimed Prince Harry experienced “a great deal of frostiness” from many of his relatives on his trip to the UK.
The Duke of Sussex is of course still in the UK after making the 5,400-mile trip from California to the UK for the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip on Saturday.
But while Harry was spotted chatting with Prince William and Kate Middleton after the service his arrival hasn’t been met with the warmest responses from other royals, according to some insiders.
They explained to the Mail On Sunday: “Ironically the only one who has expressed any sympathy towards him is Prince Andrew.
“He knows from Sarah Ferguson – and now first hand – how it feels to be the outsider, which Harry very much is.
“As far as the others are concerned, there is a deep sense of protection towards the Queen and resentment towards Harry.
“There is little sympathy for him after what he and Meghan said on Oprah.”
The paper claimed Princess Anne, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie all failed to acknowledge Harry before or during the funeral service.
Harry yesterday went for a crunch walk with his father Prince Charles today in the pair’s first one-to-one conversation since the infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey.
While looking at tributes for Prince Philip, they are said to have discussed the future of the Monarchy and Harry’s role within it ahead of Charles and William leading a summit on the future of the Royal Family soon.
Prince Harry could leave for California as soon as today to be alongside his pregnant wife, although his open-ended return ticket means he may decide to stay for the Queen’s birthday later this week.
Read our live blog below for the very latest updates on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry…
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PRINCE CHARLES RETREATS TO WALES TO CONTEMPLATE THE FUTURE
It’s understood Camilla remains in London as the prince “wanted to reflect alone” and respond to the thousands of letters sent to him after his father’s death.
Charles is also likely to be grappling with his next steps after Philip called him to his sickbed in the weeks before he died.
Sun royal photographer Arthur Edwards yesterday told ITV’s Lorraine Kelly: “Can you imagine that conversation in the hospital three weeks before, when he was summoned by Prince Philip to come?
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QUEEN ‘NOT IN MOOD’ FOR SUMMIT WITH HARRY AND WILLIAM
Ingrid Seward, author of Prince Philip Revealed, told The Times that any kind of family summit was unlikely to take place this week – and the Queen would not be in the right frame of mind.
She said: “His grandmother will not be in the mood.
“She hates confrontation. The children have much difficulty getting the Queen to discuss anything other than dogs or horses.
“I remember Fergie telling me it took three weeks for them to try and get her to discuss their divorce. She kept saying ‘Oh, I’ve got to take the dogs for a walk’.”
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ROYAL FANS CONVINCED HARRY AND MEG WILL NAME BABY GIRL LILY
As Cosmopolitan reports, royal fans on Twitter and Reddit have predicted that Harry and Meghan will give a nod to Her Majesty’s nickname by calling their baby girl Lily.
One wrote: “I’m not sure how relationships are between the family, but Lily would be a cute way to honour the Queen (Lilibet).”
Another added: “I read a prediction somewhere that they could use Lily for the Queen because of her childhood nickname Lilibet.
“And because of Meghan’s wedding bouquet being Lily of the valley. I think that’s really sweet.”
That said, Diana is still the firm favourite in bookmaker Coral’s betting at 5-1 while Alexandria is in second place at 8-1.
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ANNE, EDWARD & SOPHIE ‘DIDN’T ACKNOWLEDGE’ HARRY AT FUNERAL
It is said that some members of Harry’s extended royal family “did not acknowledge him before or during Philip’s funeral service.”
It is thought that tensions are still running high in the aftermath of Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
A source told the Daily Mail: “There is a deep sense of protection towards the Queen and resentment towards Harry. There is little sympathy for him after what he and Meghan said on Oprah.
“They [the royals] are still very upset. They are putting on a united front for the Queen. They all think he has behaved appallingly.”
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MEG AND HARRY’S BABY DUE IN JUNE
The couple announced their happy news earlier this year with a black and white photo highlighting Meghan’s bump.
During their bombshell chat with Oprah last month, they revealed they’re having a girl.
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MONARCH’S DOUBLE TRAGEDY AS GOOD FRIEND DIES
Sir Michael Oswald tragically died on the day of Prince Philip’s funeral.
Her Majesty’s trusted racing adviser passed away from a long illness on April 17 aged 86.
ir Michael looked after the Queen and Queen Mother’s racing interests for almost 30 years.
He was regularly pictured next to the royal at racing events over the years.Paying tribute, Sir Michael’s wife Lady Angela, who was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother, told Racing Post: “He always said he had the most wonderful job anybody could ever have had and that for all his working life he was simply doing what he would have done had he been a rich man who didn’t have to work.”
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QUEEN ‘DROVE HERSELF TO BELOVED SPOT FOR QUIET CONTEMPLATION’
a day after the funeral, Queen Elizabeth II drove to Frogmore Gardens – a place she loves and where she often walks her dogs.
The spot is just a few minutes from Frogmore Cottage, where Prince Harry has been staying after travelling to the UK for his grandfather’s funeral.
Sources say visiting Frogmore regularly will help the Queen deal with her grief after Prince Philip’s death.
The gardens are one of her favourite parts of the estate to walk her puppies, dorgi Fergus and corgi Muick.
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MEGHAN’ PAL GAYLE KING BRANDED ‘SEXIST’
This came after she questioned why Princess Anne was included in Prince Philip’s procession.
The chat show host was leading coverage of the funeral in the US on Saturday when she sparked the row.
On viewer tweeted: “I don’t see why she was surprised. Princess Anne even walked for the Queen Mother funeral procession.
“And I find it disrespectful of her to even question. Princess Anne was his only daughter. Of course she was going to do that.”
Another fumed: “If I were Princess Anne, I would sue Gayle King for being a sexist.”
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HARRY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHARLES AND WILLIAM STILL ‘VERY, VERY RAW’
Sources told the Mirror Harry has been forced to write letters to Prince Charles following a complete communication breakdown.
During the Oprah interview, Harry said Charles and William were both “trapped” by the institution.
Sources added that both of the future kinds were “outraged” by this comment.
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HARRY ‘BROUGHT HIS OWN SECURITY’ FROM THE US
The Duke’s private team flew out with him on a British Airways flight to Heathrow, and once in the UK, he was reportedly met by Met Police.
The officers – funded by the taxpayer – will accompany him throughout his visit, the Telegraph claims.
The Sussexes were stripped of their round-the-clock protection when they stepped back from royal duties.
However, it’s understood Harry will be shadowed and guarded for as long as he remains in the UK.
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QUEEN ‘DISAPPOINTED WITH MEGHAN HARRY OPRAH INTERVIEW
Another senior royal insider told the Daily Mail there’s “pain and hurt” on both sides and any reconciliation will “take place in baby steps”.
They said: “The Queen has made it clear to senior advisers that she is united with Charles and William, and was disappointed with aspects of Harry and Meghan’s interview.”
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HARRY ‘PROMISED TO “RESPECT THE INSTITUTION” IN LETTER TO CHARLES’
Sources close to the Duke of Sussex said he was “forced to write letters” after a “complete communication breakdown”, the Mirror reports.
Harry told Oprah he had become partially estranged from Charles after the couple decided on Megxit.
He said he had “three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father, before he stopped taking my calls”.
And in his letters, he told Charles of his reasons for leaving – while promising to “respect the institution”, it’s claimed.
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ANNE AND SOPHIE WESSEX ‘MONG GRIEVING QUEEN’S FIRST VISITORS’
It comes after news that the Royals have agreed on a rota to visit as the monarch grieves the death of Prince Philip.
Her Majesty will also be visited by her son Andrew, granddaughter Eugenie and her newborn son August in the coming days, the Mirror reported.
Members of the family will take it in turns to visit Queen Elizabeth for walks in Windsor along with her two new corgi pups.
The Queen, who turns 95 on April 21, has said she was “coping” after having attended the funeral of her devoted husband of 73 years on Saturday.
She was spotted on Sunday driving out of Windsor Castle in a green Jaguar.
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IS HARRY OFF BACK HOME TO HIS LA MANSION?
The Duke was reportedly flying home to be with Meghan, who could not make the trip on doctor’s orders, on Monday – but he could still extend his trip to further fix his familial relationships and for the Queen’s 95th birthday on Wednesday.
A source continued: “Harry didn’t expect everything to be completely back to normal but his feeling after seeing his family was there is a lot of ground to make up.
“Whether that is harder or easier to do on the other side of the world remains to be seen.
“There is a lot of distrust in the camp and everything is still very, very raw.”
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PHILIP ‘LEAVES GRANDDAUGHTER LOUISE BELOVED PONIES & CARRIAGE’
Prince Philip has left his beloved ponies and carriage to granddaughter Lady Louise, 17.
The Duke of Edinburgh had taught the young royal, who is the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, how to do carriage driving before his recent death.
Prince Philip took up carriage driving in the 1970s after switching from polo.
A royal source told the MailOnline that Lady Louise will regularly exercise Philip’s black ponies – Balmoral Nevis and Notlaw Storm – at Windsor.
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HARRY WROTE CHARLES ‘PERSONAL NOTE’ AHEAD OF HOMECOMING
Sources close to the Duke said he has been “forced to write letters” after a “complete communication breakdown” with his father.
The notes are said to have “outlined his reasons for leaving” his position to live in California with mum-to-be Meg and their one-year-old son Archie, while promising to “respect the institution”.
“Truth be told, Harry didn’t really know what to expect before he came home, which is why he reached out before seeing everyone,” the royal source revealed.
“He wrote a deeply personal note to his dad to try and set things straight but tensions are still running high and things haven’t exactly ironed out the way he had hoped.
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WILLIAM BLASTS ‘DAMAGE’ EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE WOULD CAUSE
The Duke of Cambridge, who is also President of the Football Association, said that he shared the same concerns of fans about the new league.
This is the first time that the Prince has spoken out since his grandfather, Prince Philip’s, funeral on Saturday.
“Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football community – from the top level to the grassroots – and the values of competition and fairness at its core,” the Duke of Cambridge wrote to Twitter today.
“I share the concerns of fans about the proposed Super League and the damage it risks causing to the game we love.”
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WHEN WILL PRINCE HARRY FLY BACK TO THE US?
No firm date has as of yet been announced for the Duke of Sussex’s return to his sprawling US mansion in Santa Barbara, California.
Prince Charles was said to be keen to take advantage of his youngest son’s time at home for some father-son bonding.
Royal insiders told The Mail On Sunday that he intends to spend some time with the Duke of Sussex this week.
They said: “There has been talk that Charles will walk around Windsor with Harry to look at some of the tributes and spend some time together.”
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MOURNING QUEEN TO MARK BIRTHDAY WITHOUT PHILIP FOR FIRST TIME
The Queen will turn 95 on Wednesday, four days after Philip’s funeral service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
In what would have been a special week with numerous celebratory occasions, events will be toned down to reflect a period of grief for the family.
The Queen is staying at Windsor with around 20 staff members, dubbed HMS Bubble.
Last year, she decided not to celebrate her birthday in a special way during the first coronavirus lockdown, opting to speak with family members through private video calls.
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FAMILY TIES
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PRINCE CHARLES, WILLIAM AND KATE HOLD TALKS WITH HARRY
They chatted for about two hours on Saturday at the Windsor home where Harry, 36, lived with wife Meghan, 39, until they quit the UK.
An insider said that Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, who now live at Frogmore, “made themselves scarce as Harry, William, Kate and Charles hammered things out”.
They added: “Harry obviously felt outnumbered as there are three of them and only one of him so wanted it to be on his home turf.
“There is no way this is the end of the crisis in their relationships but it’s a good gesture and a nice way to take the first step towards healing.
“William, Kate and Charles all left after about two hours, which was long enough for the process of getting father and brothers talking again to start.”
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HEIR US OUT
William and Charles met with Harry together in a bid to ensure their ‘words couldn’t be misconstrued’, according to an insider.
The face-to-face meeting was held on the grounds of Windsor Castle following the service for the Duke of Edinburgh over the weekend.
“Obviously after the worldwide fallout of the Oprah interview trust has to be rebuilt,” a senior royal insider told the Mail Online.
“There was no official wake after the funeral, but Charles, William and Harry took the opportunity to speak and catch up face to face after many months apart.
“It means nothing spoken about can be misconstrued in the future.”
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HARRY WROTE CHARLES ‘DEEPLY PERSONAL NOTE (CONTINUED…)
It was a move that sent cracks through their kinship and has left their relationship “extremely frosty”.
“Truth be told, Harry didn’t really know what to expect before he came home, which is why he reached out before seeing everyone,” the royal source revealed.
“He wrote a deeply personal note to his dad to try and set things straight but tensions are still running high and things haven’t exactly ironed out the way he had hoped. There had been a kind of unspoken agreement between everyone to park whatever has been on each person’s mind, and solely concentrate on supporting the Queen ahead of Prince Philip’s funeral.
“The feeling inside the camp was that it wasn’t the time nor the place to go over things, especially at such an emotional time for everybody involved.”
Harry’s suggestion that Charles and his brother Prince William were “trapped” in the institution and “don’t get to leave” like he did, “outraged” them both according to palace insiders.
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PRINCE HARRY WROTE CHARLES ‘DEEPLY PERSONAL NOTE’ AHEAD OF HOMECOMING FOR PHILIP’S FUNERAL
THE DUKE of Sussex wrote Prince Charles a “deeply personal note” ahead of his homecoming for Philip’s funeral – but the father and son have not patched up their fractured relationship.
Prince Harry touched base with Charles before he returned to the UK, where he would be reunited with his family for the first time since he left royal life last year.
Their relationship had “hit rock bottom” in the wake of Harry and his wife Meghan Markle’s explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey – while his grandfather lay seriously ill in hospital. Charles is still “very hurt” by the appearance, which rocked the royal family amid allegations of bullying and racism, the Daily Mirror reports.
Sources close to the Duke said he has been “forced to write letters” after a “complete communication breakdown” with his father.
The notes are said to have “outlined his reasons for leaving” his position to live in California with mum-to-be Meg and their one-year-old son Archie, while promising to “respect the institution”.
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QUEEN ‘DROVE HERSELF TO BELOVED SPOT FOR QUIET CONTEMPLATION’ ON DAY AFTER PRINCE PHILIP’S FUNERAL
THE Queen drove herself to her beloved spot in Windsor for some quiet contemplation the day after Prince Philip’s funeral.
The monarch bid farewell to her husband of 73 years on Saturday and a picture of her sitting alone at St George’s Chapel in Windsor showed the brutal reality of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read more here.