William and Kate likely to keep distance from Harry and Meghan when they return to UK for royal engagements
It seems like Prince William and Kate Middleton will not be reuniting with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after Kensington Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would be going to Ireland halfway through the Sussexes' return to the UK.
Harry and Meghan shocked the world when they announced in January that they would be stepping away from the monarchy and will be transitioning out of their official royal duties beginning in April. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be returning to the UK on Friday, February 28, to continue with their final engagements before stepping down for good as senior members of the royal family.
While it was hoped that they would join hands with William and Kate and attend royal engagements together, it appears as though contact between them will be kept on a minimum.
Kensington Palace announced on Monday, February 23, that William and Kate would be making an official visit to Ireland in the middle of the Sussexes' return and would be out of the country from March 3 to March 5.
William and Kate will be spending time in Dublin, County Meath, County Kildare, and Galway, where they will continue to work on their projects aimed at helping young people.
On the other hand, Harry is set to visit Abbey Road Studios that same day on february 28 for a meeting with Jon Bon Jovi and the Invictus Games Choir.
He will also be appearing at another event alone. He will be following that up with a joint appearance with Meghan at the Endeavor Fund Awards on March 5, the Mountbatten Music Festival on March 7, and the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9.
Despite losing status as members of the royal family, Harry and Meghan will be allowed to retain their royal patronages or charitable entities. One of those patronages happens to be Invictus Games, a sports competition for wounded military personnel that Harry founded in 2014.
The Sun reported that William and Kate would miss the event, which will be held in Hague in 12 weeks' time, but that it wasn't a snub.
"William had not been expected to attend even before the news broke about Harry and Meghan’s decision to step away from public life," a source said. "So it is highly unlikely that he and Kate will be a part of the event in any way. But it isn't a snub. The entire Royal Family remain hugely supportive and very proud of Harry’s work on Invictus and think it is a wonderful event."
William did attend the opening ceremony of the first Invictus Games in London in 2014, though Kate missed it because she was suffering from severe morning sickness while pregnant with Princess Charlotte. Neither has attended any of the subsequent games.