The Duke of Sussex is “in a good head space” and “so excited” to return to the UK, a source tells HELLO!. Harry is said to be looking forward to spending time with nearly all of his patronages during a four-day visit, which begins on Monday with the 20th annual Wellchild Awards in central London and which will see him return to a Nottingham-based organisation close to his heart.
“He’s so excited to come back to the UK,” the source tells HELLO!. “He’s in a really good headspace. He’s really looking forward to seeing everyone from his patronages face to face and focusing on the causes. He’s really positive about coming back to do all the stuff that he loves doing.” The Duke, who has been patron of Wellchild, the charity for seriously ill children, for 17 years, will spend time with young winners and their families ahead of a glittering ceremony, during which he will present the Award for Inspirational Child (aged 4-6) and deliver a speech.
On Tuesday, he will return to Nottingham, heading to the Community Recording Studio in the St Ann’s area, where he has been a regular visitor over the years. Harry will announce a “substantial” donation to Children in Need to help support their work tackling violence affecting young people. He’ll also bring together influencers, the community outreach group Epic Partners and the sports apprenticeship organisation Coach Core.
The Duke has been a supporter of the Studio since 2013, spending time with young musicians and performers and discussing issues such as mental health and youth violence. He has kept his connection with the city since his departure from the UK in 2020, most recently making a “significant” donation to the charity Himmah, which tackles poverty, racism and social exclusion.
While in the UK, the King’s youngest son will also spend time with representatives from other patronages thought to include Scotty’s Little Soldiers, the Invictus Games Foundation and the Diana Award. The King, who is spending the weekend in Balmoral, has not seen Harry since February 2024, when they spent 30 minutes together a day after the monarch publicly shared his cancer diagnosis.
In May this year, the Duke admitted his father would not speak to him because of his court case against the Home Office decision to downgrade his security status. But having lost the case, Harry made clear his desire to be reunited with his family. Speculation about a potential reunion has mounted since July, when the King’s communications secretary Tobyn Andreae was pictured meeting the Duke’s new communications team, US-based Meredith Maines and UK-based Liam Maguire. For now, neither side will be drawn on whether any meeting will take place, but it’s a question that looks set to dominate Harry’s visit in the coming days.
