Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Won't Travel for Prince William's Event in Honor of Princess Diana

It's anyone's guess when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) will next return to the UK, but one thing's for sure: It won't be this month. A source tells Us Weekly (opens in new tab) that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "will not be in attendance" at a party hosted by Prince William (opens in new tab) in honor of Princess Diana (opens in new tab) later in October.

The event was meant to accompany the unveiling of the statue of Diana in July, which Harry attended (opens in new tab), but was postponed to the fall instead. Given how far away the youngest of Diana's sons now lives from the UK, it's understandable that he wouldn't want to make the trip—though Us Weekly's source doesn't shed light on the reasons behind the Sussexes' decision not to attend. Unfortunately, relations between the UK and US branches of the royal family have been tense (opens in new tab) in recent months, which may also explain why the California-based couple may be loath to jump on a transatlantic plane just yet.

The Duke of Sussex' visit to the UK in July was a rare one, and his wife still has yet to return to her in-laws' country since the couple left in 2020. Though they were previously rumored (opens in new tab) to possibly return to the UK together for Christmas, one royal expert subsequently claimed (opens in new tab) that he thought Markle might never make the trip again and that Prince Harry (opens in new tab) would delay his homecoming as much as possible. However, their daughter Lilibet (opens in new tab) hasn't met any of her dad's family members yet, so those claims seem a bit far-fetched.

The upcoming party for Diana will celebrate the donors who helped make her statue a reality, to whom Harry is making sure to express his gratitude despite his planned no-show. "Harry is personally connecting with donors regarding the event," a different source tells Us Weekly.