Prince Harry will return to the U.K. in the summer to reunite with his family for the unveiling of a statue in honor of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
The unveiling of the Diana statue will take place on the grounds of Kensington Palace on July 1.
However, the Duke of Sussex will not stay in the U.K. for long. He is expected to arrive on July 1 and leave on the same day, a royal expert has claimed, according to Express.
Royal expert Daisy McAndrew told Australia’s morning show Today that Harry will “fly in and fly out” of the U.K. on the same day. However, he will only stay long enough to attend the event.
McAndrew said Harry’s very brief visit to the country for the event in honor of his mother is a reflection of the persisting tensions within the Royal Family following Megxit.
“We’re expecting Harry to come over for the unveiling that would coincide with Diana’s 60th birthday on July 1,” McAndrew said. “The latest I’ve heard is that he’s planning on flying in and flying out on the same day.”
McAndrew added that Harry is expected to travel alone, without his wife Meghan, son Archie, and newborn daughter Lili. “There’s no suggestion that he will be bringing baby Lili, Meghan, or Archie with him,” the NBC royal watcher said.
Harry and William won’t present a united front at Diana statue unveiling
The latest news comes after Monsters & Critics reported that royal fans were warned not to expect Harry and his older brother, William, Duke of Cambridge, to “present a united front” at the unveiling of the Diana statue in July.
Although fans had hoped that working together on the project would help heal the rift between the brothers, a source with knowledge of the state of affairs within the Royal Family said that the feud between the brothers was a “long way off” from being resolved.
According to the source, while Harry and William “will be physically together for the ceremony,” they won’t make a joint statement. Instead, they will present separate statements and speeches. The source added that the ongoing feud between them was causing concern among Royal aides.
“You might have thought they’d go for a joint statement and speech, but that’s not the case. Each has insisted on preparing their own,” the source said. “It is a big concern that their body language will suggest all is not well and they won’t present a united front.”
Harry and William first announced the Diana project in 2017
Harry and William first announced plans for the project to honor their mom with a statue in August 2017, during the 20th anniversary of her death.
They started working together on the project before the Megxit crisis and continued working on it even after the Sussexes sat down for the explosive interview with Oprah that deepened tensions between them.
The jointly approved the design for the statue by the artist Ian Rank-Broadley.
In August 2020, Harry and William released a joint statement announcing that the statue will be unveiled on July 1.