Prince Harry had reportedly been looking forward to a special moment with his nephew, Prince George, but the royal rift has kept it out of reach. The Duke of Sussex had hoped to teach the young royal cricket, a sport George is now seen enjoying.
Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties in 2020. Since then, relations have been strained, with reports that Harry and his brother, Prince William, are not on speaking terms.
Birthday video shows the missed bond
Prince George recently turned 13, and the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a video on Instagram capturing him playing cricket. For Harry, who reflected in his memoir 'Spare' on what he wanted to share with his firstborn nephew, the moment carried particular weight.
According to Woman and Home, Harry wrote: "I couldn't wait to teach him about rugby and Rorke's Drift, flying and corridor cricket - and maybe give him a few pointers about how to survive life in the fishbowl."
In the book, he also described how he "looked forward to popping in all the time" while living at Nottingham Cottage, when his brother and family were based at Kensington Palace.
A distant dream
But those days appear increasingly distant. Harry visited the UK in July to mark the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games. During the trip, he met with some relatives, and he and his family were hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla. However, there was no public meeting with Prince William.
Security concerns remain
Harry, who lives in the US with Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his family but has raised concerns about security. He has previously argued that his children cannot "feel at home" in the UK if it is "not possible to keep them safe" there, and that he has been "singled out" for "inferior treatment" with his safety, security and life "at stake", according to The Independent.
