Prince Harry arrives back in UK as King Charles reunion in doubt due to major barrier

Prince Harry touched down in the UK over the weekend ahead of the WellChild awards this evening.

The Duke of Sussex, 40, remains patron of the UK charity and it is one of the few private patronages he held onto after stepping down as a senior royal in 2020.

The WellChild awards celebrate the inspiring qualities of some of the country's seriously ill young people and the dedication of those who keep them healthy and happy, including health, social care and education professionals.

Harry’s stay is only expected to be fleeting, as this is his only event in the UK.

Questions have been raised over whether the duke will meet up with any of his family while he’s back on home soil - but it's not looking hopeful for Harry, who has made no secret of his desire to reconcile.

Is it time the Royal family put their differences aside? Have your say in our comments section.

Sources have suggested Prince William will not clear time in his diary to see his brother, as the heir is focused on his own work and his family.

Harry and William are not understood to have spoken for some time, and are not thought to have talked when they attended a family funeral in the UK last month.

But insiders have been slightly more optimistic about a reunion between father and son, as the King is more open to a reconciliation with his youngest son.

However, the timing of Harry’s visit may prove to be a huge barrier to a meeting, as the King is some 500 miles away at Balmoral Castle having attended the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament on Saturday.

He will be travelling back to the capital this week, but it is expected to be after the duke has jetted off to Lesotho, Africa to drive forward his work with the charity Sentebale.

Harry’s last public visit to the UK fell in May, and his team briefed that the King was “too busy” to make time to see his son while he was in London.

This was despite the father-and-son being just several miles away, as Harry held an Invictus Games event at St Paul’s Cathedral and the King hosted the first garden party of the season at Buckingham Palace.

But the pair did spend some time together in February after the King’s cancer diagnosis was made public.

Harry rushed over to London to see his father, and they met for about 40 minutes in what was seen as an optimistic sign their relationship was moving forward.

Today, the Duke will attend a reception to meet the category winners and their families before the main event where he will present the Most Inspirational Child (aged four to six) award and deliver a short speech.

Harry regularly attends the annual event, hosted by WellChild, the national charity which provides a nationwide network of nurses, home makeover projects and family support programmes.

Last year the event fell on the eve of the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death and Harry paid tribute to his late grandmother in his speech.