Woke Prince Harry flew back to California on Tuesday to be with his wife Meghan, missing his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s 95th birthday and without having repaired the rift with his father, according to reports.
The Queen is marking her first birthday without her husband, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, who she laid to rest following his funeral at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday. The Queen is still under a period of Royal Mourning, which ends this Friday.
With Her Majesty expected to have a low key and private celebration with members of the Royal Family on Wednesday, The Sun and other media outlets have reported that Harry was back in the wealthy Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito, California, by 4 pm on Tuesday.
Harry is believed to have flown via American Airlines to Los Angeles airport, with MailOnline reporting that his chauffer-driven black Cadillac Escalade left a private terminal early that afternoon local time.
Earlier reports suggested Harry may have stayed to mark the milestone birthday but was “conflicted” and eager to get home to his pregnant wife, who is expecting their second child in the Summer.
It was Harry’s first meeting with his family since the interview with Oprah Winfrey, where he and Meghan accused the Royal Family of uncaring behaviour and one unnamed person, neither the Queen nor Prince Philip, of racism.
Some members of the Royal Family appeared not to interact with Harry after Saturday’s funeral, and though he did speak with his brother afterwards, it was claimed Prince William asked his cousin Peter Phillips to walk between him and Harry during the funeral cortege.
It is believed that Harry met with Charles afterwards, but with William present, in order to avoid anything spoken of being “misconstrued in the future”, according to sources, with there being particular concerns that a “twisted version of events” would be leaked to the press from the Sussex camp.
However, one Buckingham Palace insider told The Mirror that Prince Charles the Prince of Wales was hoping to see his son again before he went back to America, but Harry left before then, leaving the rift between him and his family still wide open.
The source told the tabloid: “Harry didn’t expect everything to be completely back to normal but his feeling after seeing his family was there is a lot of ground to make up.
“Whether that is harder or easier to do on the other side of the world remains to be seen.
“There is a lot of distrust in the camp and everything is still very, very raw.”
According to The Mirror, the Queen is believed to be having lunch at Windsor Castle with close family members, walking her dogs, and calls to her great-grandchildren.
“The Queen will not be alone. She will have others who care about her deeply and want to be there to support her in her most pressing hour,” an insider told media.
“In typical fashion the Queen has insisted she is coping and despite the suggestion she had prepared herself for this day to come, everyone is well aware there is nothing like the experience when it comes,” they added.