No, Prince Harry was not trying to upstage his brother, Prince William, with his recent trip to Canada.
The Duke of Sussex’s trip to Toronto was announced last minute because he is “not afforded the same level of security and protection as other working members of the Royal Family,” a spokesperson for Harry, 41, told the Daily Mail on Tuesday, November 4.
“It means therefore, that the period of time in which we can release details of events is much more truncated than it is for His Majesty the King or the Prince of Wales,” the statement added. “The events were planned nearly a year ago. The date of the main event, the dinner, is set by the charity, not Prince Harry.”
Harry received widespread backlash from royal watchers earlier this week when announcing his trip to Toronto for several Remembrance Day events supporting veterans. Harry will attend the True Patriot Love National Tribute Dinner on Thursday, November 6, which is one event referenced to in the statement.
The announcement of Harry’s trip came just as William, 43, was headed to Brazil for the COP30 climate summit.
Royal expert Victoria Arbiter made headlines for claiming that the announcement of Harry’s visit was “inevitable if not predictable.” The Team Sussex spokesperson appeared to denounce what Arbiter had said by noting that the period of Remembrance has been set for the first week of November for over one century.
“He can’t choose to move those dates,” Team Sussex’s statement continued. “We are always guided — as to when we can announce trips like this, by the advice given to us by his private security advisers and the event’s security team.”
The statement concluded, “This visit, months in the planning, marks a return to a city that has a special place in the Duke’s heart, having played host to the Invictus Games back in 2017.”
The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday that the royal family had prior knowledge of Harry’s trip to Canada.
Us Weekly has reached out to Team Sussex for further comment.
Tuesday’s statement appears to be a good sign for the royal family as they continue to bridge the gap between Harry and the rest of his relatives. Harry has experienced some tension with the royals since he and wife Meghan Markle left their working roles within the family in 2020.
Earlier this year, both Harry and King Charles III started to set aside their differences during a closed-door meeting in London — their first in nearly two years. (Harry initially raised the idea of a reconciliation with his family during a May interview with the BBC.)
“The meeting was sparked by a handwritten letter from Harry earlier this year to Charles expressing his desire to reconnect,” a source exclusively told Us in September, noting that the reunion was “super positive and very relaxed.”
The insider added, “They were catching up personally about the children [Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet] and what has been going on with Charles and his health. There were hugs and tears at the meeting.”
