Prince Harry’s return to the United Kingdom this week marks his longest solo visit since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022, and it’s one that’s packed with both personal significance and public scrutiny. Arriving in London on Monday, September 8, 2025, the Duke of Sussex is embarking on a four-day trip that’s as much about mending fences as it is about charity work. For Harry, who now lives in the United States with his wife Meghan Markle and their children, this visit is more than a fleeting stop—it’s an open attempt to reconnect with his roots, his causes, and, perhaps, his family.
The trip’s official agenda is centered on charity, with Harry attending the annual WellChild Awards in London on Monday evening. The event, which supports seriously ill children and their families, holds a special place in the prince’s heart. He’s been a patron for 17 years, and as he explained to BBC, “I am always privileged to attend the WellChild Awards and meet the incredible children, families and professionals who inspire us all with their strength and spirit.” The timing is poignant, too—it falls on the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, a moment that’s sure to stir up memories and emotions for the royal family and the public alike.
On Tuesday, Harry will travel to Nottingham to support BBC Children in Need, revisiting the Community Recording Studio (CRS), which he last toured in October 2019. This engagement is more than ceremonial; Harry is set to announce a substantial donation to Children in Need to help tackle violence and its effects on young people. The day’s packed schedule includes a private briefing with Children in Need, the Police and Crime Commission, CRS, and Epic Partners. He’ll also reconnect informally with young people he’s met previously, watch live performances from CRS artists, and deliver a brief speech. According to The Express, the duke aims to unite “key stakeholders, influencers, and potential funders to highlight the work of grassroots organizations like CRS and Epic Partners, as well as the sports apprenticeship body Coach Core.”
Coach Core, originally launched in 2012 by William, Harry, and the Princess of Wales’s joint Royal Foundation, has since become an independent charity. It’s a reminder of a time when the two princes worked side by side, before Harry and Meghan parted ways with the Royal Foundation in 2019 amid rumors of a falling out. As The Sun observes, “Relations between the King and his youngest son deteriorated significantly after the Sussexes stepped down as senior royals and launched a series of public criticisms against the Royal Family.”
Wednesday and Thursday will see Harry attending private receptions and meetings with other charities and patronages, including the Invictus Foundation, the Diana Award, and Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity supporting bereaved military children. It’s a jam-packed schedule, with hardly any downtime, and it underscores Harry’s ongoing commitment to philanthropic causes in Britain, even as his personal ties to the country have become more complicated.
Yet, for all the focus on charity, much of the public and media attention is fixed on whether Harry will use this trip to reconcile with his father, King Charles III. The King, who has been spending most of the summer at Balmoral Estate in Scotland while undergoing cancer treatment, is reportedly traveling south regularly for both treatment and royal engagements. This overlap in schedules has fueled speculation about a possible meeting, though both Buckingham Palace and Harry’s team have remained silent on the matter. As BBC notes, “It leaves open the real possibility of father and son meeting in person.”
However, the reality appears more complicated. The last time father and son met was in February 2024, when Harry returned for a brief 30-minute meeting after the King’s cancer diagnosis. Since then, there has been “no direct communication at all at the moment,” according to sources cited by The Sun. Harry has not been offered accommodation at a royal palace for this visit, but friends say he would accept a meeting with the King if one were offered. As one friend told The Times, “He’s not given up hope on bringing his family back to the UK. He wants to be able to show his children where he grew up. He wants them to know their family here. He really would like to come back to the UK much more.”
Despite the hope for reconciliation, obstacles remain. Harry’s relationship with the royal family has been under strain since he and Meghan stepped back from their roles in 2020, relocated to North America, and launched public criticisms of the institution. His legal battle with the Home Office over security arrangements—reportedly costing more than £1 million—ended in defeat, and Harry has since said it’s unsafe for Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to visit the UK. In May 2025, he told the BBC, “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point. And the things they’re going to miss, well, everything … I miss the UK.”
Nevertheless, Harry’s approach appears to be shifting. Rather than public legal battles, he’s expected to pursue quieter, private lobbying for improved security arrangements. Those close to the prince told The Times that the government should “expect more private ‘lobbying’” from Harry on the matter. For his part, the King is said to “miss his son,” according to his former personal butler, Grant Harrold, in an interview with the New York Post. Yet, Harry lamented to the BBC that the King “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.” He added, “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive lots of things. But I would love a reconciliation with my family.”
One relationship that seems even less likely to be repaired soon is that between Harry and his brother, Prince William. According to The Daily Beast, a friend of William’s believes that a meeting between Harry and the King would be “a terrible, terrible idea.” Royal experts quoted by The Sun suggest that any peace deal would be impossible without William and Meghan’s involvement, and that “any attempt at a peace deal would be impossible without Prince William, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.”
Still, there are glimmers of hope. In July 2025, Harry’s communications team met with the King’s chief of communications in London, a move widely seen as the first step toward improving their strained transatlantic relations. And while a meeting between Harry and his father is not officially scheduled, sources indicate that the “ball is now in the Royal Family’s court after the prince made it clear he wanted a reconciliation.”
Adding a layer of poignancy, Harry may extend his stay for the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, who died recently at age 92. She was a friend of Princess Diana and a mentor to Harry when she married into the Royal Family. No date has yet been set for the funeral, but it could provide another opportunity for family members to gather—and perhaps, for some healing to begin.
For now, Prince Harry’s visit to the UK is a complex tapestry of charity, nostalgia, and cautious hope. Whether it will lead to the reconciliation he seeks remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Duke of Sussex is not giving up on his homeland, his causes, or his family ties just yet.
