Prince Harry ends UK visit with Diana tribute following surprise reunion with King
Prince Harry has attended an event paying tribute to his late mother Princess Diana to end a UK trip where he saw his father for the first time in over a year.
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After the surprise meeting between the estranged father and son on Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex wrapped up a packed trip to the UK by attending a Diana Award panel.
After the event, Harry's spokesperson suggested the UK visit had gone well, saying: "He's obviously loved being back in the UK, catching up with old friends, colleagues and just generally being able to support the incredible work of the causes that mean so much to him."
Before Wednesday, the last time the King and his youngest son saw each other was February 2024, when the Duke of Sussex came to London to visit his father, shortly after he announced he was having cancer treatment.
But they spent just over 30 minutes together on that occasion, before the King left to recuperate in Sandringham.
On Wednesday, he was seen driving through the gates at the King's London residence Clarence House, for what was called a "private tea" by Buckingham Palace officials.
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He didn't spend long with his father, and was seen driving back out less than an hour after arriving.
Harry had returned to fulfil engagements with charities across the UK.
While talking to recipients of the Diana Award, the prince gave a short speech, saying: "Thank you all for being here. I don't know how you were as individuals, all of you... five, ten years ago pre-Diana Award, but to see you sitting up here now with the confidence you have, speaking to a complete group of strangers is proof of the fact this whole thing works."
Harry was upbeat throughout the engagement but also struck a philosophical tone when he addressed the young people in the room.
"You talk about the mental health piece that is woven through so much of this and it is, it's emotional... it's mental and emotional wellbeing.
"In every single Diana Awardee, in every single young person and middle-aged person and probably old people as well, our mental health and our emotional health through our nervous system is being tested every single day.
"And this proven model of being engaged with or finding your purpose with social action, it really does work. You guys are testament to that. Otherwise you're sitting there feeling hopeless.
"You have the hope. My point is that if you're a young person it can sometimes feel as though you're lost and separated from a group and you feel isolated. But I can assure you that there's nothing wrong with you."
The meeting between King Charles and Prince Harry sparked hopes of a reunion between the Duke of Sussex and his brother Prince William.
The two princes have been estranged for a number of years amid allegations of a physical confrontation between them published in Harry's memoir, Spare.
But these hopes were dashed by Tessy Ojo, chief executive of The Diana Award, who warned not to expect a joint appearance by the brothers anytime soon.
She said: "Do you know what, people are fascinated about seeing them together.
"I've had the pleasure of working alongside them for 25 years and for those 25 years they've always done things separately.
"When I first became chief executive that was one of the things they said to me, 'We want to have our own projects'.
"The only one time we brought them together was the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's death and that was when we launched our Legacy Award in 2017."
She added: "It's real honour to be able to work alongside both of them."