Royal family news: Prince Harry ‘looking for a way back into fold’ as King Charles to host Starmer at Balmoral

The Duke of Sussex “feels overshadowed” by Meghan Markle after the couple’s recent faux-royal tour of Colombia.

An insider has now claimed that Harry is attempting to “reconnect” with friends in the UK and longs for aspects of his old life as a working royal.

“Harry is feeling more and more isolated in California, which is why he has been reconnecting with old friends back home,” the source told The Sun.

“The Colombia trip also really highlighted how Meghan is comfortable stepping into the spotlight, while Harry cuts a very sulky, unhappy figure in the background.

“He wants to carve out a way back into royal life back in the UK and is seeking counsel from old friends and associates.”

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex both attended the funeral of their mother’s brother-in-law, Lord Robert Fellowes, it has been reported.

Harry flew from the US to join William at the service at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, on Thursday, The Sun said.

The newspaper said that the brothers made a discreet appearance and sat apart at the back of the church.

A local resident was quoted by The Sun saying William and Harry kept their distance and did not speak to each other.

Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, moved to the US in 2020 after they stepped down from royal duties.

The princes did not meet when Harry spent time with the King at Clarence House after news of his cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

Harry published his memoir Spare last year, in which he accused William of pushing him into a dog bowl in a row over Meghan. It was also claimed William teased Harry about his panic attacks.

Further tensions between the royal brothers can be traced back to the early period of Harry’s relationship with Meghan, when his then fiancee had a falling-out with the Princess of Wales in the run-up to their wedding.

Lord Robert, Queen Elizabeth II’s former private secretary, died earlier this month aged 82. He was married to Lady Jane Fellowes, the sister of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The royal family can take some comfort in the knowledge that their popularity with the British public remains solid, with King Charles still popular two years after acceding to the throne.

According to a YouGov poll six in ten Britons (63%) have a favourable opinion of Charles III, against only three in ten (29%) who hold a negative view of the reigning monarch. This gives the King an overall net favourability rating of +34, something many politicians would be deeply envious of.

More popular are heir apparent Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales. They are Britain’s favourite royals, with three-quarters of Britons (74-75%) having a favourable view of the couple, and disliking the two a minority view (13-16%).

Sir Keir Starmer has been staying with King Charles at Balmoral this weekend, enjoying his first official stay at the royal residence as prime minister.

King Charles III is hosting Sir Keir and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer, in line with a long-held tradition that UK prime ministers visit the monarch at the Scottish castle for a few days towards the end of summer.

Little detail about Sir Keir’s visit to Balmoral has been shared by either No 10 or the Royal Family.

The trips tend to take place shortly before MPs return from their summer recess - with this year’s recess due to end on Monday.

King Charles has released a statement offering his condolences to the people of Aotearoa after the passing of Kiingi Tuheitia.

Buckingham Palace released the following statement: ”My wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the death of Kiingi Tuheitia.

“I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades. He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand founded upon culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion.

“I remember with immense fondness meeting Kiingi Tuheitia many times, including when Her Majesty and I were hosted so warmly and graciously at the Tuurangawaewae Marae in 2015, and then again during our meeting at Buckingham Palace last year. His death is a particular shock in view of the fact that I had only very recently spoken to Kiingi on the telephone at the beginning of August.

“Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui a Tāne. (A mighty Totora tree has fallen.)

“My wife and I extend our deepest condolences to Kiingi Tuheitia’s whaanau and friends and all those who will mourn his loss. Our special thoughts and prayers will be with you at this most difficult and heartbreaking of times.”

It was signed ‘Charles R’.

Kiingi Tuheitia was elected to the Māori throne on 21 August 2006 and held several important roles, including patron of Te Matatini, the largest Māori cultural festival. He also represented the Māori people at King Charles III’s May 2023 coronation.

Following tradition, the next Māori monarch will be chosen with an election.

One of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists who have set up a camp in Windsor has said she thought the King would “probably be here” and “up for doing some camping” if he was not the head of state.

Tents, stages and speakers were set up in Windsor Home Park on Friday morning ahead of an “action-packed” weekend of activities.

Activist Marijn van de Geer, 41, said of Charles: “I reckon if he wasn’t the King he’d probably be here. I think he’d probably be quite good at giving some talks and trainings. He’s quite an outdoorsy person, he’d probably be up for doing some camping, it’s a shame he’s the King because he obviously can’t be here.

“As an individual he has spoken out a lot about the environment. He was well ahead of his days at the time when he was talking about it and everyone was laughing at him.

“This is 100 per cent not an attack at the King. Extinction Rebellion UK does not have any plans to storm Windsor Castle, any hotels, nor cause public disruption.”

A schoolboy donned his prize-winning cardboard crown in front of the King as the monarch visited a flower show.

The King laughed as Oliver Keith tried on the homemade creation of silver cardboard, purple tissue paper and golden tinsel at the Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen’s 200th anniversary show in the city’s Duthie Park.

He questioned the eight-year-old on the fit and how long it took him to make the third-prize winning entry before asking him if he would like to try it on.

Laura Paterson reports:

Prince William’s ex-girlfriend “unwittingly” revealed his relationship with Kate Middleton during a fateful game of Never Have I Ever with friends, a new biography has revealed.

The now heir to the throne, 42, met his future wife while studying at St Andrew’s University in Scotland and the pair started out as friends.

However, over time, romance blossomed and it was initially “shrouded in secrecy” because of William’s position within the royal family.

My colleague Emma Guinness reports:

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly “keen” to do more unofficial tours after successfully visiting Nigeria and Colombia this year.

Though carried out in their capacity as private citizens, the visits have many of the hallmarks of official royal tours and have been used to promote several charitable causes.

A source told OK! magazine: “Both Meghan and Harry are keen to do more of these tours as that’s what they love doing and what they enjoyed most about royal life.”

A royal expert has speculated that Prince Harry’s decision not to add any new material to Spare is not “an olive branch”.

The book is being released in paperback for the first time on 22 October.

Royal historian Tessa Dunlop told the Mirror: “Those who suggest that this paperback release, with no additional material, is an olive branch, are sadly mistaken.

“New material can be conciliatory; Harry might have taken the lead and opened with a different prologue, fore-fronting his regret about how things turned out, and reiterating his good wishes for Kate and the King.”

The memoir was first released in January 2023, notably before King Charles’s coronation and the royal family’s recent health troubles.