Prince Harry surprised royal watchers by arriving at the High Court in London on Monday morning for a preliminary hearing of a privacy case. Royal commentator Afua Hagan said his attendance in person shows how strongly the Duke of Sussex feels about the case and that his return to the UK is “a good sign” he will come to the King’s Coronation in May.
She added: “It shows how important the case is to him, the strength of feeling about this.”
Ms Hagan noted that throughout his memoir Spare and recent Netflix docu-series Harry spoke of his determination to improve how the media operates – and his attendance at the hearing shows just how important that mission is to him.
She added that Harry has braved returning to the UK in the face of a “hostile environment”, in a nod to his dismal popularity ratings in the wake of his book and promotional interviews.
But that’s not the only significance of him making the trip all the way from California. The expert noted that Harry could use the trip to meet with his family, most notably his father whose scheduled trip to France was postponed.
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“It’s a nice surprise that he’s here and there could be a potential meeting with his dad,” she said. “He might discuss details of the Coronation that could pave the way to him and possibly Meghan being there as well.”
Ms Hagan later added: “He could potentially meet with the King, I hope that he does and this could pave the way for them being at the Coronation.
“I think it does bode well for the Coronation that he is here. He didn’t have to come he could have appeared remotely.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been invited to the Coronation but have yet to confirm whether they will attend it.
However, reports suggest the King has told his youngest son that “he is busy” and will be unable to meet with him while he’s in London. This is despite Harry reaching out to the monarch, according to the Telegraph.
The King had been due to be on his first state visit to France today, but the trip was postponed at the last minute because of the violent protests being waged in the capital.
Prince William is also unlikely to meet with his brother this week, as he is understood to have gone on holiday with his wife and three children, as their school in Ascot broke up for the Easter holidays on Friday.
*This story has not been edited by The Infallible staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.
