Royal family latest – Harry UK return for Princess Diana statue in doubt as expert warns William could be ‘last Monarch’
Prince Harry’s return to the UK for Princess Diana’s statue unveiling is in “serious doubt” amid the so-called royal rift, experts claim.
It was previously thought that William and Harry would unite at the exhibition of their mum’s statue in July – after months of tension between the pair.
Phil Dampier, author of Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words, told the Sun Online: “I personally don’t think Meghan will return to the UK.
“And there must now be a serious doubt as to whether Harry will come over for the unveiling of a statue for Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday in July.”
Meanwhile, Wolf Hall author Dame Hilary Mantel said the British monarchy is entering its "end game" and the institution may not "outlast" Prince William.
Ms Mantel told the "I think it’s the end game. I don’t know how much longer the institution will go on.
"I’m not sure if it will outlast William. So I think it will be their last big era. I wish the Queen had felt able to abdicate because Charles has had to wait such a long time."
But she said the Queen sees it as a "sacred task" from which she cannot abdicate, although the public sees it as a job you could retire from.
Dame Hilary added: "I wonder if she’s the only person who really believes in the monarchy now, and I’m sure she believes with all her heart."
Recent polls show Britain is broadly in favour of the monarchy with 63 per cent believing it should continue.
Sixty-four per cent believe that the Queen should remain monarch for as long as she lives.
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates...
QUEEN DROVE HERSELF TO QUIET SPOT (CONTINUED..)
Yesterday, a day after the funeral, Queen Elizabeth II drove to Frogmore Gardens – a place she loves and where she often walks her dogs.
The spot is just a few minutes from Frogmore Cottage, where Prince Harry has been staying after travelling to the UK for his grandfather’s funeral.
Sources say visiting Frogmore regularly will help the Queen deal with her grief after Prince Philip‘s death.
The gardens are one of her favourite parts of the estate to walk her puppies, dorgi Fergus and corgi Muick.
According to sources, she is likely to drive to Frogmore on her birthday too to enjoy nature and walk her dogs.
QUEEN ‘DROVE HERSELF TO BELOVED SPOT FOR QUIET CONTEMPLATION’ ON DAY AFTER PRINCE PHILIP’S FUNERAL
THE Queen drove herself to her beloved spot in Windsor for some quiet contemplation the day after Prince Philip’s funeral.
The monarch bid farewell to her husband of 73 years on Saturday and a picture of her sitting alone at St George’s Chapel in Windsor showed the brutal reality of the Covid-19 pandemic.
LEAKED CONVERSATIONS (CONTINUED…)
Vanity Fair claims William spent some “time alone” with Harry walking around the Queen’s private gardens after the service on Saturday.
It also claims Prince Charles is “desperate” for a reconciliation with his son while William is more “hesitant”. A source added: “William needs to know he can trust Harry and that private conversations will stay private.”
The source also said William and other family members “have some very strong feelings about some of the things Harry and Meghan said on Oprah”.
They added: “Things need to be talked through, but this was not the occasion and everyone respected that.
“It’s going to take more than a wake to sort things out, but this is hopefully a start.”
LEAKED CONVERSATIONS
It comes after reports that Prince William needs to know any future talks with his brother will stay private after Gayle King revealed their family chats weren't productive.
According to , one family friend said Harry was met with frostiness from his relatives after the 90-minute explosive chat.
It is thought the family were upset that Meghan’s pal Ms King revealed Harry had spoken to his brother and Prince Charles after the interview – but that the talks were “unproductive”.
One source said: “Harry was out in the cold after Oprah and then when details of private family conversations were leaked to Gayle King it was the final straw.
“Some family members cannot believe what he has done, but there is a feeling that with the Duke’s death and the family coming together, conversations need to be had.”
PRINCE HARRY HOLDS TALKS WITH WILLIAM AND CHARLES (CONTINUED...)
"Obviously after the worldwide fallout of the Oprah interview trust has to be rebuilt," a senior royal insider told the
"There was no official wake after the funeral, but Charles, William and Harry took the opportunity to speak and catch up face to face after many months apart.
"They were only able to spend a short time together outdoors given Covid restrictions and also without staff, including senior courtiers, overhearing what was being said.
"It was important to Charles and William that they were both there together.
"It means nothing spoken about can be misconstrued in the future."
PRINCE HARRY HOLDS TALKS WITH WILLIAM AND CHARLES AFTER PAIR ASKED TO MEET HIM TOGETHER SO ‘WORDS CAN’T BE MISCONSTRUED’
PRINCE Harry held talks with William and Charles after the pair asked to meet him together so that words could not be misconstrued, a royal insider has said.
The Duke of Sussex arrived back to the UK last week to attend his grandfather, Prince Philip's, funeral on Saturday where he saw William for the first time in a year.
They were seen walking solemnly behind their grandfather’s coffin - separated by their cousin Peter Phillips - as the world watched on.
The face-to-face meeting was held on the grounds of Windsor Castle following the service for the Duke of Edinburgh over the weekend.
A royal source said that Prince William and his father Charles met together with Harry to make sure that everyone fully understood each other.