Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been pictured going into a side entrance of London Euston today
They are taking train to Manchester for One Young World summit, where the Duchess will give a speech
Sussexes were driven 27 miles from Frogmore Cottage in Windsor to Euston in hybrid electric Range Rover
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been pictured going into a side entrance of London Euston today as they take the train up to Manchester for the One Young World summit, where the Duchess will give a keynote speech.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were driven the 27 miles from their UK base at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor to Euston in a hybrid electric Range Rover – a journey taking about an hour – before walking into the railway station.
The couple had earlier been seen grinning at each other when leaving Frogmore as they were photographed for the first time on their return to the UK before beginning their short European tour in the North West of England.
The Sussexes were accompanied by two bodyguards and followed by another Range Rover as they were driven out of the grounds of Windsor Castle, ahead of Meghan making her first speech to a British crowd since Megxit.
Harry and Meghan will have travelled on the significantly reduced service currently being operated by Avanti West Coast, with only one train an hour running from London to Manchester. Given that they arrived at Euston just after midday, they are likely to have taken the 12.20pm train to Manchester which arrived seven minutes late at 2.34pm.
The venue for today’s event, Bridgewater Hall, is less than a mile away from Manchester Piccadilly train station.
The Duke and Duchess had spent the night less than half a mile from Prince William, Kate and their three children – but the families are not expected to meet, in a decision that underlines the deep rift between the brothers.
It is their first public appearance in the UK since returning for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June as Harry’s legal battle with the Home Office rumbles on after they were denied 24/7 taxpayer-funded armed police bodyguards.
They are going to Manchester for the opening of the One Young World summit, an event which brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries and where Meghan, 41, is due to give a speech on gender equality.
The couple’s decision to use at least two private security firms and dog teams to form a ring of steel around Bridgewater Hall comes just days after Meghan told The Cut magazine in the US that it takes ‘a lot of effort’ to forgive and hinted that she can ‘say anything’, in what has been translated as a veiled threat to the Royal Family.
The area outside the 2,300-seat venue will be cleared of the public an hour and a half before the couple arrive after 6pm, it has been reported. Meghan, a counsellor for One Young World, will give the keynote address.
It is understood the couple and event organisers have arranged private security after Harry was told he was no longer entitled to taxpayer-funded official armed police bodyguards. A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed its officers were not involved, adding that security for the event had been ‘privately sourced’.
Harry is suing the Home Office, claiming that the removal of his taxpayer-funded armed police protection bodyguards since they quit as frontline royals is ‘unfair’, ‘illegal’ and puts his family at risk.
Next stop is Germany for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year To Go event which is taking place on Tuesday, before they return to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London where Harry will speak on Thursday.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go into a side entrance of London Euston today as they travel up to Manchester
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go into a side entrance of London Euston today as they travel up to Manchester
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go into a side entrance of London Euston today as they travel up to Manchester
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go into a side entrance of London Euston today as they travel up to Manchester
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go into a side entrance of London Euston today as they travel up to Manchester
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go into a side entrance of London Euston today as they travel up to Manchester
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Prince Harry smiles as he and Meghan leave Frogmore Cottage in Windsor today, accompanied by two bodyguards
The Duchess of Sussex is also seen smiling as she leaves Frogmore Cottage in Windsor with Prince Harry this morning
The couple leave Frogmore Cottage in Windsor today in two Range Rovers ahead of the first leg of their European tour
As well as not seeing William and Kate, the couple also declined an ‘open invitation’ to stay with Prince Charles at his Scottish holiday house on the Balmoral estate. The Prince of Wales told the couple they were ‘always welcome’ at his home ahead of their trip to the UK, palace sources confirmed.
Today it emerged that Prince William has ‘no plans’ to see his younger brother Prince Harry until after the California-based royal releases his bombshell memoir this winter, even though the pair are currently staying around 380ft apart, as the crow flies, from each other in Windsor.
William, 40, and his wife, Kate Middleton, are said to be avoiding contact with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex until they know what the couple plans to disclose in their Netflix documentary and Harry’s forthcoming book.
‘They have lost their chance of being trusted as the chance is they will record any conversation and use it against them,’ Royal biographer Angela Levin told The Sun.
Levin alleged William does not have faith that Harry, 37, will not repeat their conversations. The author said William’s hesitance to interact with the Sussexes is their ‘own fault for vastly exaggerating and being rude.’
Harry and Meghan, 41, are believed to have arrived at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor on Saturday ahead of their European tour. The property is located just 380 feet away from the Cambridges’ new four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, where William and Kate spent the weekend with their children.
The insiders told The Mirror that Charles had thought the Sussexes staying with Prince Charles would be a ‘good opportunity for everyone to take stock and relax.’
‘But the invitation was declined, as it has been before,’ the source said, adding that Charles hasn’t ‘wavered’ on his attempts to have a relationship with his son ‘despite the attacks which seem to be coming with increased vigour.’
News of the declined invitation surfaced after Charles, 73, was pictured heading to church in Balmoral alone Sunday morning. Insiders allege he continues to find Harry and Meghan’s jibes at the Royal Family ‘painful’ and is ‘completely bewildered’ by their behaviour.
Harry and Meghan are in the UK this week for two charity events. The couple are travelling to Manchester on Monday where Meghan is due to give a speech on gender equality.
The couple has asked private security firms to provide a ‘ring of steel’ in Manchester for their appearance at the One Young World young leaders’ forum, amid a row over who pays for their protection on UK soil.
‘One would have thought if such concerns existed, the best place to be would be next to the family, but there you go,’ the palace insider said of their alleged safety worries.
Two different dog teams were seen at the venue on Sunday including one from private firm Global Support Services, which provides protection dogs, specialist detection dogs, close protection and other security services.
The couple’s trip comes amid Harry’s ongoing legal battle with the Government over his security when in the UK. He launched legal action after he was told he would no longer be given the ‘same degree’ of personal protection after stepping back from the Royal Family in 2020.
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Harry and Meghan, pictured in New York on July 18, are starting their European tour today by travelling to Manchester
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An employee at Manchester Central walks into a building yesterday where Harry and Meghan will visit for the summit
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A specialist dog unit at the venue in Manchester where Harry and Meghan will visit later today
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A Dutch-registered ‘Stage Truck’ is parked at Bridgewater Hall where Meghan will give a speech on gender equality
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Princes Harry and William attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace in London on July 1, 2021
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Harry and Meghan are staying at Frogmore Cottage located just 380 feet away from the Cambridges’ Adelaide Cottage
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle declined an ‘open invitation’ to stay with Prince Charles at his Scottish holiday house on the Balmoral estate. Charles, Meghan and Harry are pictured together at Buckingham Palace in June 2018
He said he did not feel safe under current security arrangements bringing his family here and has offered to pay for British police to act as bodyguards himself. Last month, he won a bid to bring a High Court claim against the Home Office.
Meghan and Harry are understood to have arrived in the UK on Saturday and stayed at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor despite insiders alleging they were invited to stay with Charles.
Neither representatives for Prince Charles or the Sussexes immediately responded to Mail Online’s request for comment.
The Prince of Wales, who was pictured arriving alone at church in Balmoral on Sunday morning, is said to have been wounded by the words and actions of his son and daughter-in-law and is likely fearing further attacks this week.
A friend of the prince said Charles was ‘completely bewildered about why his son, whom he loves deeply, feels this is the way to go about managing family relationships’.
Insiders say the 73-year-old ‘loves and misses’ Harry, Meghan and his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, and feels particularly hurt after spending time with them during the Platinum Jubilee in June.
Charles is thought to have seen their time together as a ‘minor act of reparation’ after the Sussex’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 which saw Harry say he felt ‘really let down’ by his father.
Meantime, the Queen is said to be keeping calm and carrying on, but a source told The Sunday Times she did not want to be ‘on tenterhooks’ all the time waiting for the ‘next nuclear bomb’ from the Sussexes.
Another Palace source told the newspaper: ‘Ultimately, they are bashing the institution that has put them in the position they’re in – the longevity of that strategy is not sustainable.’
Harry and Meghan have taken part in several interviews since their departure from royal life, including their controversial sit-down with Oprah during which they accused the Royal Family of racism and said the institution failed to help a suicidal Meghan.
Tensions were raised further last week after an interview which saw Meghan suggest the Sussexes had been forced to move across the Atlantic because ‘by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy’.
Speaking to US magazine The Cut, she also claimed her husband had ‘lost’ his father, with sources close to the couple saying this wasn’t a reference to Prince Charles, but her estrangement with her own father.
Royal insiders have branded the interview, which also saw Meghan compare herself to Nelson Mandela, as ‘delusional’ and have expressed concerns about the impact of their comments on the Queen.
One said that the Queen, who is now 96 and has pulled out of a string of public events in recent months amid ongoing fears for her health, does not ‘want to be on tenterhooks’ and constantly waiting for the ‘next nuclear bomb’.
Analysts allege Harry’s upcoming memoir, which is expected to be out in time for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, is also expected to slam the monarchy.
The contents of the tell-all memoir still remain a mystery, including to the Royal family who will get to read the book at the same time as the public.
Sources close to the Prince of Wales reportedly told The Telegraph last month that he had hoped his team would have been sent a copy of the book ahead of its publication. However, they claim neither he nor the Duke of Cambridge – or their attorneys – have received specifics about the book.
Harry spent time researching the life and death of his mother, Princess Diana, while writing the time. Some fear he may express an angry narrative towards his stepmother Camilla.
Little is also known about Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary, which the pair are currently filming. Though Meghan has hinted that the film could focus on their ‘love story’.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s production company, Archewell Productions, signed a reported $100million deal with the streaming giant in 2020 but there has yet to be a release.
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Charles had invited the entire family to stay at his holiday home on the Queen’s Balmoral estate. He thought the Sussexes staying with him would be a ‘good opportunity for everyone to take stock and relax’
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News of the declined invitation surfaced after Charles was pictured heading to church in Balmoral alone yesterday morning
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The Prince of Wales (centre) attending the Braemar Gathering yesterday with his wife Camilla (right) and sister, the Princess Royal (left)
Kate, William, Harry and Meghan attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 11, 2019
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the Annual Salute to Freedom Gala in New York in November last year
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Her Majesty departs from Aberdeen as she goes to Balmoral Castle for her summer holiday on July 21 this year
The Duchess of Sussex gave a bombshell interview to The Cut – part of New York magazine – in which it was claimed that she and Harry ‘were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy’. Pictured: The front page of The Cut
A documentary series about the Invictus Games has been confirmed. Meghan’s planned animated children’s series was scrapped as part of wider Netflix cutbacks.
It had previously been rumoured that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning a fly-on-the-wall documentary series, in the style of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Meghan has also revealed she was writing a daily journal before she and Harry stepped down as working royals. Some fears she too may publish a book with ‘more bombshell revelations’.
The California-based royal said in her interview with The Cut that she was packing up ‘personal matters’ from Frogmore Cottage in June when she came across the diary.
Meghan told the interviewer: ‘You go back and you open drawers and you’re like, Oh my gosh. This is what I was writing in my journal there?’
Her remark sparked fears that the discovery of the diary will ‘trigger warning signals’ for the Royal Family.
After Monday’s trip to Manchester, the Sussexes will travel to Dusseldorf on Tuesday to mark a year before Harry’s next Invictus Games.
They will return to Britain for the WellChild Awards ceremony in London on Thursday, where Harry will deliver a speech.
As well as a huge security operation, media access has also been severely curtailed to the events in the UK, with only hand-picked journalists able to cover them.
The Queen is in Balmoral in Scotland, where she is due to meet the new prime minister on Tuesday.
The Sussexes have no official plans on Wednesday, meaning they have time to see the Queen, but royal sources say this is unlikely to happen as she has a busy week.
A friend of Charles told the Sunday Times that the Prince of Wales continues to be hurt by the public proclamations not only about the royal family, but about himself personally.
The friend says: ‘For two years, there has been a steady stream of really challenging things said about a man who cannot [publicly] defend himself by a couple he obviously loves and misses.
‘That is incredibly difficult on a personal level. He is completely bewildered by why his son, whom he loves deeply, feels this is the way to go about managing family relationships.’
Sources close to Prince William say he is less concerned by the jibes than his father, with one saying: ‘he’s not really spending much time thinking about it’.
A new rift was opened between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family following Meghan’s interview with The Cut last week.
Coinciding with the launch of her new Spotify podcast, the Duchess of Sussex claimed she had been compared to South African hero Nelson Mandela and claimed Harry had ‘lost’ his father Charles during Megxit.
In her wide-ranging interview with The Cut, running to more than 6,000 words, Meghan said that ‘just by existing’ she and Harry were ‘upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy’ before they stepped down as senior working royals.
She also she said it takes ‘a lot of effort’ to forgive and hinted that she can ‘say anything’ after not signing any confidentiality agreements with the royals.
Sources in royal circles have since hit back at the couple, branding their tirades against life as working royals ‘delusional’ and ‘tragic’ – and sensationally suggesting that they ‘rail against the system as much as they still do’ even after Megxit to sustain public and therefore commercial interest in their ‘brand’.
The couple’s actions also seemingly contradict the public statement they released in January 2020, after reaching a deal with the Queen to leave the royal life, in which they pledged that ‘everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty’.
At the so-called ‘Sandringham Summit’, Harry gave up his military appointments and their public funding was halted, allowing them go to the United States where they have signed multi-million pound deals with the likes of Spotify and Netflix.
Regardless, the Queen has repeatedly said the Sussexes remain ‘much-loved’ by the royal family. But one source told the Sunday Times: ‘It is hard to see how what they’re doing would equate to the values of the Queen, who has never encouraged people to discuss deeply personal family relationships in public.’
The couple’s visit to the UK follows Meghan’s bombshell interview during which she claimed a South African cast member of the Lion King film told her ‘they rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison’ when she married Harry.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the star-studded premiere of the Disney remake in July 2019, rubbing shoulders with A-listers including Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
‘I just had Archie. It was such a cruel chapter. I was scared to go out,’ she said in an interview, alleging a cast member from South Africa had pulled her aside.
‘He looked at me, and he’s just like light. He said ‘I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison’.’
The Duchess of Sussex did not name the cast member. However, an actor who says he’s the only South African in Lion King live action film claims he actually never met Meghan.
Dr John Kani told Mail Online earlier this week he believes the Duchess of Sussex made ‘a faux pas’ after she used her interview to imply her 2018 royal wedding sparked celebrations in South Africa reminiscent of the release of his friend Madiba, the legendary anti-apartheid leader.
He said Mr Mandela’s walk to freedom after 27 years was a ‘landmark moment’ while her marriage to Prince Harry was ‘no big deal’ in South Africa, adding that the two events ‘cannot be spoken in the same breath’ and ‘you can’t really say where you were when Meghan married Harry’.
But Dr Kani, a veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company who voiced the mandrill shaman Rafiki, told MailOnline that he was the only South African in the Disney movie, has never met Meghan and was not at the UK premiere.
He said the only other South African who was involved was Lebo M, a composer who together with Hans Zimmer was responsible for the music for The Lion King. But Lebo M was not in the cast.
The article also heard from Harry who suggested some members of the Royal Family ‘aren’t able to work and live together’, while Meghan revealed that her husband told her that he had ‘lost’ his father Prince Charles.
Meghan told The Cut magazine: ‘Harry said to me, ‘I lost my dad in this process.’ It doesn’t have to be the same for them as it was for me, but that’s his decision.’
However allies of the couple later clarified that the duchess had actually been referring to the breakdown of her relationship with her own father.
Meghan’s unofficial spokesman Omid Scobie wrote on social media: ‘I understand that Prince Harry is actually referring to Meghan’s loss of her own father, and Meghan is saying she doesn’t want Harry to lose his.’
A source close to Prince Charles said last week he would be saddened if Harry felt their relationship was lost, adding: ‘The Prince of Wales loves both his sons.’
Asked about the confusion regarding Meghan’s comment, The Cut declined to comment.
A source added: ‘This line is a direct quote from Meghan’s interview with Allison, and as a general rule, we don’t comment or speculate on sources’ intent outside of the text of the story.’ Meghan said she and Harry felt they had to leave Britain because of negative media coverage, including of their £2.4million refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
