Prince Harry and Meghan Markle rule out attending major Diana Award event after UK move
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now residing in Britain, but will not be attending a charity gala for the Diana Award, of which Harry is a dedicated patron
Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson debunked the claims they are attending the London event (Image: AP)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have ruled out attending a charity gala dinner for the Diana Award, after sources claimed they would likely make an appearance.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now residing in the UK, after arriving last week and settling into their new lives back in Harry’s home country.
While it is believed the move back to Britain was partly for Harry to focus more on his charity work in the UK, it has been revealed that he and Meghan will not be attending an upcoming gala for the Diana Award, which is due to take place in London in the coming weeks.
Harry and Meghan have relocated to the UK(Image: Getty Images for the Invictus Ga)
The Mail on Sunday claimed that the Duke and Duchess would in fact be making an appearance at the dinner, set to take place at Raffles London at The OWO, a hotel located in the Old War Office in Whitehall, on September 18. However, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan has now debunked these claims.
Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson told the Mirror: “Despite the Daily Mail’s reporting to the contrary, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not scheduled to attend a Diana Award event at Raffles Hotel, OWO London, on 18 September.”
An insider added that while Harry is believed to not be attending, he is considering writing a letter or appearing in a video message instead for the event.
Harry and Meghan will not attend a gala for the Diana Award(Image: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
The Mail on Sunday claimed that it is unlikely William would attend the event if his estranged brother was making an appearance, as a source told the publication: “You won’t see the two men attending an event together any time soon – especially if Meghan is there.”
However, with Harry and Meghan not attending the September 18 gala, it is possible William will be a guest at the event. The Mirror has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
Both Prince Harry and Prince William have been patrons of the Diana Award since its inception, with the charity, named after their late mother, aiming to empower young people to lead change. However, the brothers have not joined forces and attended Diana Award events together for several years, instead ensuring that their involvement is strictly separated.
Prince William may attend the London event on September 18(Image: Getty Images)
Last week, royal sources told the Mirror that the Prince and Princess of Wales ‘want no part’ in the drama surrounding the Duke and Duchess’ move back to the UK, while William remains adamant there can be ‘no way back’ for Harry and Meghan to re-join the Royal Family.
Insider sources added that the Prince of Wales is ‘completely united’ with the King in not allowing Harry and Meghan to achieve a ‘half in, half out’ role within the monarchy, after spending years publicly railing against the institution.
Friends of the couple have said while they ‘cannot forgive’ the Sussexes for their hurtful accusations against the Firm, they are determined to ‘look forward to the future’. Despite the ‘considerable noise’ and ‘suspicions’ over the Sussexes’ return, those close to the Prince and Princess of Wales maintain the couple remain focused on their own lives.
Harry has been a patron of the Diana Award since its inception(Image: Getty Images)
One source said: “Obviously the Sussexes’ return will make inevitable headlines for a few days, but it has no bearing on the prince and princess’ life moving forward.
“If anything, events that have affected them over the past couple of years have made them even more determined to concentrate on what is important to them, their family, their public roles and the ability to provide generational change for good with their public roles, and look forward to the future.”
Another source close to the Waleses said: “What Harry and Meghan choose to do is up to them. As far as William and Catherine are concerned they have left that period of their lives behind many years ago.”