King Charles’ Poignant Moment Before Harry’s U.K. Visit

King Charles III reminisced about Queen Elizabeth II’s final days in a speech in Scotland shortly before Prince Harry was to appear publicly in London.

The Duke of Sussex will attend the WellChild Awards on Monday, the same charity event that placed him in Britain on the day Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022.

All eyes will be on whether Harry meets his family, including the king and his brother Prince William during his latest trip to London.

However, Charles was around 400 miles away at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Saturday—which could make a meeting with Harry unlikely if he does not return to London in time.

“Scotland has always had a uniquely special place in the hearts of my family and myself,” the king said. “My beloved Grandmother was proudly Scottish.

“My late mother especially treasured the time spent at Balmoral, and it was there, in the most beloved of places, where she chose to spend her final days.”

Charles went up to Scotland for a meeting of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit on September 20 and appeared to remain north of the border, attending church with Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate on Sunday, September 22.

And the king and queen were back at Crathie Kirk, the church near their Scottish estate Balmoral on Sunday, the eve of Harry’s charity appearance.

Charles is due in London by Wednesday for a reception at St James Palace celebrating the Commonwealth diaspora, alongside actress Cate Blanchett, singer Grace Jones, and around 300 guests.

However, it is unclear whether father and son will be available at the same time in the same place, particularly because Harry is also preparing to visit South Africa and Lesotho, meaning he may not be in the country for long.

If they do not meet, there will be inevitable questions about what that means for their relationship and whether they may be on less positive terms than thought.

Prince Harry visited Britain in February after the king was diagnosed with cancer but Charles made only around half an hour for his son before flying by helicopter from London to Sandringham without him.

The duke returned in May to mark 10 years of his Invictus Games tournament for wounded veterans and released a statement through his spokesperson saying Charles had not been available to meet, and adding that he “hoped” to see his father soon.

There has been no public suggestion they met when Harry was back in Britain in August for the funeral of Sir Robert Fellowes, his uncle via Princess Diana’s sister Lady Jane Fellowes.

So if a third trip to the U.K. passes with no apparent meeting between father and son, then Harry’s May statement will likely only add to the perception that relations are at a low ebb.

The other question is whether Harry sees Prince William, who was also at the Spencer family funeral.

The brothers reportedly did not speak then, though there has been no definitive on the record confirmation of that.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

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