It was revealed Prince Harry will travel to Canada later this week, with the announcement coming as estranged older brother Prince William kicked off a major trip
Prince Harry’s announcement of a major trip at the exact moment his estranged brother Prince William kicked off a key visit was ‘unavoidable’, according to a source.
Just as William was met by cheers as he kicked off a visit to Brazil by visiting the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain to launch his prestigious Earthshot Prize awards, Harry’s trip to Canada later this week was revealed. The warring brothers have been embroiled in a bitter rift, and the announcement of Harry’s trip to Toronto also showed it will clash on the same days that William celebrates his Earthshot PrIze award winners and attends COP30 in Belem on behalf of the King.
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Many eyebrows were raised over the timing of Harry’s announcement, which came minutes after William made his first appearance in Rio de Janeiro. In the past, there has been an unwritten rule for members of the Royal Family to delay major announcements when other royals are on tour.
But sources close to Harry said the timing of the announcement, at the exact moment Prince William arrived in Rio, was unavoidable due to Harry being stripped of his security when he left his role as a working member of the royal family.
The source claimed the period of time in which Harry and Meghan can release details of their events is much more truncated than it is for the King or William.
The source added that the Sussexes’ team was purely guided on advice given to them by their private security advisors. A spokesman for the Sussexes’ confirmed they had informed royal communications “as a courtesy”.
It came after a spokesman for Prince Harry said: “This week, during the annual period of Remembrancetide, Prince Harry will travel to Toronto, Canada. There, he will meet with veterans, members of the armed forces community, and military charities.
“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.”
Harry, who had a long military career and served on two tours of duty in Afghanistan, used to be a firm fixture at the Remembrance Sunday service attended by all of the royals at the Cenotaph in London.
But since he and wife Meghan dramatically quit their royal roles, they have not taken part in the ceremony, due to take place this Sunday, since 2019.
To mark Remembrance Day in the UK and Veterans Day in the US last year, he paid tribute to veterans, reaffirming his “lifelong admiration and appreciation” for their “service and sacrifice”.
He also praised veterans for having played a “vital role in defending the values of liberty, freedom, and security”, saying: “These values bind us together and have shaped you as leaders and role models.”
In 2020, Harry was said to be “saddened and disappointed” not to have had a wreath laid on his behalf at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in 2019, according to a book.
When he stepped down as a working royal, Harry was stripped of his military posts, including his role as Captain General of the Royal Marines.
It was reported at the time Harry’s wreath had been made but after his request to have it laid at the Cenotaph was refused, it laid unused in a box at the Royal British Legion’s Kent HQ.
In the biography Finding Freedom, it is claimed his request was denied because he was no longer a “frontline royal”. Instead, Harry and Meghan chose to pay their own tribute and were snapped laying a wreath at the Los Angeles National Cemetery and placing flowers on the graves of two Commonwealth soldiers.
The wreath was inscribed: “In Memory of the Men Who Offered Their Lives in Defense of Their Country”. On it, Harry had written: “To all those who have served, and are serving. Thank you.”
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