Amid tensions between Prince Harry and the rest of his family, the Duke of Sussex will join with his brother overnight in commemorating the 60th anniversary of their mother's birth.
It comes after months of consternation within the royal family directed at Harry and Meghan.
The meeting will present the chance for fissures in the royal family to be mended, but could equally lay bare the chasm between Harry and his brother Prince William.
But two things have changed in recent months that could set the family on a path to healing.
The split with the royals, as revealed in Oprah interview
Harry and Meghan's drift away from royal life was made public in 2020, when they announced they would "step back as senior royals".
It was announced months after the birth of their first son, Archie, and contextualised by an interview the royal couple gave with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year.
Reuters: Harpo Productions
)"'I need to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s gotten to this point but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s and for Archie’s as well," Harry said in the interview.
He blamed fierce media attention on his young family and the rigid adherence to protocol within the royals.
He also alleged an unnamed royal family member had made a racist comment about the potential colour of Archie's skin before he was born.
The interview marked the nadir of relations between Harry and his family, but two important events have impacted the family since then.
Prince Philip's death and Lilibet's birth
The first was the death of 99-year-old Prince Philip, husband of the Queen and grandfather to William and Harry.
When the royal family's patriarch died in April, Harry was on the other side of the world in the US, but rushed to London to attend the funeral.
Jeremy Selwyn/Pool via AP
)And while he was present at the commemorations of the Duke of Edinburgh's life — and was spotted chatting with his brother — the solemn affair provided little opportunity to thaw relations.
But another key moment has passed by since then — the birth of Harry's daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
The baby girl's name draws inspiration from both Harry's own mother and the nickname bestowed on the Queen by close members of family.
The coming meeting between William and Harry
Family is front and centre in Harry's visit to the UK.
Not least because of the occasion — what would have been his mother's 60th birthday.
AP: Henry Nicholls
)Asked what Diana would make of his split from the royal family, Harry told Oprah "I think she would feel very angry with how this has panned out, and very sad."
"But, ultimately … all she’d ever want is for us to be happy."
Harry and William are due to come together for a scaled-back unveiling ceremony of a new statue of Diana at the sunken garden of Kensington Palace this evening, Australian time.
The event is expected to feature the two brothers and members of Diana's family, but will not include William's wife Catherine or Harry's wife Meghan, who remained in the US with Archie and Lilibet.
Reuters
)In a pre-recorded message to the Diana Awards this week, Harry spoke of the perspective on charity he shares with his mother.
"Later this week, my brother and I will be recognising what would have been our mum's 60th birthday," he said.
"She would be so proud of you all.
"Our mum believed that young people have the power to change the world."
But as Harry joins with his brother, the question will be whether anything's changed in his family.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA3LTAxL3ByaW5jZS1oYXJyeS12aXNpdC13aWxsaWFtLWNoYXJsZXMtZGlhbmEtYmlydGhkYXkvMTAwMjUxODI20gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMDI1MTgyNg?oc=5
2021-07-01 04:20:00Z
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