Prince Harry "Must Miss His Family More Than Ever" as They Head to Balmoral Without Him, Royal Expert Says

It's a difficult summer.

Prince Harry grimaces as he leaves a U.K. courtroom
(Image credit: Getty)

It's a weird summer for all of the royals, given that it's the first time many of them will be vacationing at Balmoral Castle without the late Queen Elizabeth (who died there last September) for a host.

But for Prince Harry—who left the U.K. for good in early 2020 and whose family relationships have suffered ever since—things are likely to feel extra difficult this year. Not only will he not be going to Balmoral, but he won't be seeing his family at all, as far as we know.

"I think Harry must miss his family more than ever, and not coming back to the U.K. for the summer," royal expert Katie Nicholl told Closer (via the Mirror).

The expert added that Harry hoped "his children would have a special relationship with their cousins" just like he did growing up, but sadly since he and his brother William are reportedly not speaking, it's much more difficult for their respective children to have a relationship with one another these days.

Nicholl called Harry's new life "very different" from that of his royal relatives, and said, "You have to wonder whether the novelty of that has worn off."

Meanwhile over in California, this year has also been a difficult one for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex generally.

Their contract with Spotify came to an abrupt end; Harry's memoir Spare was successful but also attracted a lot of criticism and created a further rift with his family; and lately the couple has been plagued with separation rumors.

Thankfully, that last point has been said to be completely unfounded, and the Sussexes' marriage is reportedly doing just fine, thank you very much.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.