Prince Harry tipped to make personal sacrifice not to ‘steal thunder from the Queen’

Alice Scarsi

Harry could make a solo trip to England next month to pay tribute to the memory of his grandfather Prince Philip, according to a commentator. However, royal expert Brian Hoey thinks chances to see the Duke of Sussex crossing the pond throughout 2022 are very slim.

This is because, Mr Hoey believes, Harry is aware his presence on British soil could overshadow the sovereign as the country is celebrating her 70th year on the throne

Asked if he expects the Duke of Sussex to travel back to the UK this year, the author said: “No, quite frankly I don’t.

“He might come back for the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh.

“But he would come back, I think, on his own.

“And I doubt very much he would come back throughout the remainder of the Platinum Jubilee year – and this is to his credit.

“Because if he does come back, a lot of the attention would be on him, taken away from the Queen, and nobody in the Royal Family wants any attention diverted from Her Majesty in this particular year.”

Speaking further about a possible conscious choice the Duke could make not to overshadow the Queen in this historic year of her reign, the author continued: “It is a question of stealing the thunder from the Queen.

“If he does come back, it would be unintentionally stealing the thunder – but it is bound to happen.

“And if Meghan came, you can imagine the crowds which would turn out, there is still a groundswell of affection for them both, particularly from younger people, in Britain.”

Harry, Meghan and their son Archie Harrison relocated to California in March 2020, just days before they officially stepped down as senior royals. Harry has since returned alone to the UK on two occasions.

First, he crossed the pond during third national lockdown in April last year to attend the funeral of Prince Philip.

Meghan did not travel back to England on that occasion as she was pregnant with Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana, but paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh by having a beautiful wreath dedicated to Philip placed in her and Harry’s name at St George’s Chapel ahead of the funeral service. Harry also returned to England in late June last year.

During this second brief stay, the Duke of Sussex headed to Kew Gardens for an event hosted by WellChild, one of his most beloved patronages.

On July 1, Harry and Prince William honoured the memory and legacy of their mother Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday by unveiling together a statue of the late royal.

The bronze statue has been placed in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, an area of the royal residence Diana was particularly fond of.

Despite Harry’s absence from Britain, he is still in touch with members of the Firm.

In interviews he gave in early 2021, he revealed he is regularly in touch with the Queen, with whom he and his family speak over the phone or video link.

Moreover, earlier this month he was spotted at a LA stadium watching the SuperBowl in the company of his cousin Princess Eugenie.

And a few days later, the pair were joined by their partners, Meghan and Jack Brooksbank, for dinner at a Santa Barbara restaurant, as shown by photographs obtained by a US news website.