Prince and Princess of Wales mark third anniversary of death of Queen Elizabeth with WI visit

The Princess of Wales has joined her husband at an engagement to mark the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, as the Prince’s estranged brother returns to the UK for the first time in five months.

William and Kate visited the National Federation of Women’s Institutes in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on Monday, while the Duke of Sussex will be in London for the annual WellChild Awards, a cause close to his heart as the charity’s long-standing patron, before travelling to a community recording studio in Nottingham on Tuesday.

It was Kate’s third engagement in five days after she visited the Natural History Museum’s gardens last Thursday before watching the Red Roses beat Australia 47-7 in their Women’s Rugby World Cup match in Brighton on Saturday.

It is not known whether the duke, who is estranged from his brother, the Prince of Wales, and has a troubled relationship with his father, the King, will stage a reunion during his stay.

The King, who is currently at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, and the Queen have no public engagements planned for this week.

Harry and Charles last met face-to-face more than a year and a half ago when the duke made a transatlantic dash to see the monarch in February 2024 after hearing of his cancer diagnosis, but they spent just over 30 minutes together before the King left to recuperate in Sandringham.

Both Harry and William attended the funeral of their uncle Lord Fellowes in Norfolk last year, but there was reportedly no interaction between the brothers.

On Tuesday, William will visit a youth organisation in Lambeth, south London, while Harry will revisit the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham’s St Ann’s area.

Harry last visited the CRS to mark World Mental Health Day in October 2019, just two months before he and the Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down as senior working royals and moving to North America.

He is planning to hold a private briefing with Children in Need, the Police and Crime Commission, the CRS and community outreach group Epic Partners in Nottingham, stage informal catch-ups with some of the young people he met before, and watch performances from CRS artists and make a short speech.

The duke is hoping to bring together key stakeholders, influencers and potential funders to shine a light on the work of grassroots organisations such as CRS and Epic Partners and the sports apprenticeship body Coach Core.

Coach Core was originally started as a programme by William, Harry and the now-Princess of Wales’s joint Royal Foundation in 2012 to use the power of sport to help change lives and train young apprentices.

It has since become an independent charity. Harry and Meghan broke away from William and Kate’s Royal Foundation in 2019 after rumours of a rift began to circulate.

Meanwhile, William will visit Spiral Skills, which has received funding from the prince’s homelessness initiative Homewards to move into a new hub for young people at The Oasis Village, Tulse Hill.

The youth organisation was founded in 2015 and works with local schools, youth organisations and authorities to provide early intervention, support, employability skills and access to employment and services for 14 to 25-year-olds, Kensington Palace said.

The prince will visit the organisation at its new space and see how it offers support for those who need it, before attending a workshop with Young Creators UK, a creative agency run and owned by underrepresented young people which receives referrals from Spiral Skills.

William will be joined by Homewards advocate and former England midfielder Fara Williams to hear about how the organisation has helped people to gain confidence and learn new skills.

On Wednesday, he will visit a new mental health hub at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium run by the Jac Lewis Foundation, a charity based in Ammanford, south-west Wales, which was set up in memory of Jac and is backed by the Royal Foundation.

The hub will provide support to people who may be at risk of suicide and the Royal Foundation’s partnership will enable it to operate for one day per week over three years.

During his visit, which coincides with World Suicide Prevention Day, the prince will meet Jac’s family and friends, including his father Jesse and teammates from Jac’s football team, Ammanford FC, before speaking to members of the Welsh Rugby Union and Swansea City FC on the role sport has in supporting better mental health among players and fans.

Senior aides to the King and Harry were pictured together in London this July in what was reported to be an initial step towards opening channels of communication between the two sides.

Harry, who levelled accusations at the King, Queen, William and Kate in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary and memoir Spare, told the BBC in May that Charles will not speak to him because of his court battle over his security, and he does not know “how much longer my father has”.

But he also outlined his hopes for a “reconciliation” with his family, saying: “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things.”

He added: “But you know, I would love reconciliation with my family” and said there was “no point in continuing to fight any more”.