Harry’s attempt to be a ‘fun Prince again’ is ‘tragically hamfisted’ and ‘too little too late’, royal experts claim – as he cracks dad jokes at Wellchild Awards

Prince Harry appeared to be back to his old ‘fun self’ at the WellChild Awards last night, delighting youngsters with a cheeky balloon sword fight and sharing ‘dad jokes’ with teenagers.

It was a stark contrast to the Duke of Sussex that some Britons have come to know, with the royal now closely associated with his scathing memoir Spare, his High Court legal action against the Home Office and his and Meghan Markle’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Indeed some believe that Harry’s ‘charm offensive’ during his pseudo-royal tour to the UK this week, which has caused mounting speculation over whether he will stage a reunion with King Charles, has come ‘too little, too late’.

Royal biographer Christopher Wilson told The Daily Mail: ‘The Duke refuses to confront the damage he and Meghan have caused to the institution of monarchy, and his attempts at reviving the “fun Harry” character of old just look tragically hamfisted. 

‘He wants reconciliation with King Charles – but on his terms,’ suggested the author. ‘But it’s clear that “Sorry” is a word that doesn’t exist in his vocabulary. Even if he were to utter it, it’s all too late. The magic has gone, because we now know what lies underneath.’

Meanwhile, fellow royal biographer Tom Bower said: ‘Of course, Harry is frantic to regain his status in Britain. His California dream is fading fast. 

‘Not only has he lost his source of income – poisonous denunciations of his family – but he has lost his status as a magical royal. Worse for him, Meghan Markle has struck out on her own, determined not to be sullied anymore as his wife. 

‘He wants to come back to Britain but he foolishly burnt his bridges. He will need to show contrition before anyone begins to consider trusting him again as a loyal member of the Royal Family.’

While hopes of a reconciliation with his brother appear slim, there remains speculation over a possible meeting between Harry and King Charles during his stay – which would be their first in nearly 19 months.

However, Mr Bower, author of Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles (2018), suggested that ‘Harry’s bid to forge a new relationship with his family is certain to fail’.

‘After pocketing millions of pounds by selling his trashy stories to Netflix and his publishers, his disloyalty won’t be forgotten for many years, especially by his brother, Prince William and Kate,’ said the biographer.

He added: ‘His request to meet the King will probably be rejected. Not only because William would oppose that bid for reconciliation but also because it would enhance the royal status of both Harry and Meghan. 

‘Both exiles need revalidation of their royal status. If the King concedes, they will as usual betray his trust.’

Sources close to Harry say he wants to ‘focus on the positive, no courtrooms and just do the stuff he loves’ during his four-day trip to the UK as part of a concerted effort to reset his relationship, not just with the Royal Family but also the British public. 

Speaking about the return of the Duke’s ‘cheeky side’, royal journalist Katie Nicholl, author of Harry: Life, Loss, and Love (2018), told The Daily Mail: ‘‘It’s so lovely to see Prince Harry doing what he does best and back to his fun loving self. 

‘He absolutely loves being with children, it’s always when he’s most happy and at ease. He has an immediate rapport and connection with them which is entirely authentic and genuine.’

The author added: ‘It’s refreshing to see Harry over in the UK promoting his charity work and philanthropy which brings out the best in him. 

‘Watching him play fighting with sword balloons and cracking bad dad jokes is a reminder of the Harry we all know and love.’

On Monday, having touched down in Britain for the first time in five months, Harry appeared joyful as he arrived at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the WellChild Awards – an event he has long supported.

There, he was seen warmly interacting with the seriously ill children and families who were being honoured for their resilience.

In one sweet moment, the Duke enjoyed a playful balloon sword fight with Gwen Foster, nine, after the Inspirational Child aged 7-11 winner, born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, challenged him to a duel with the toys made by a balloon sculptor.

Harry also joked and laughed with Declan Bitmead, 17, from Oxted in Surrey, who won the inspirational young person 15-18 years award, during a reception with the award winners ahead of the presentations.

Declan suffered permanent sight impairment and lost 96 per cent of his skin after developing a rare and life-threatening reaction to a common tonsillitis treatment. 

Harry joked with the teenager and made him smile, after being told by the schoolboy he did not have much sight, by saying he was lucky not to see him as: ‘I’m bald and ginger and worst of all I’ve got a ginger beard – you’re thinking phew.’

Elsewhere during his conversation with the teenanger, the Duke also spoke about the ‘challenging’ relationship between siblings as he was told Declan had a younger brother.

‘Does he drive you mad?’ asked Harry, and Declan replied ‘no, we get on fine’ – and the Prince quipped with a smile ‘you know what – siblings’.

When told the 17-year-old and his brother went to the same school, the duke said ‘you’re at the same school, that sometimes makes it more challenging’.

The Duke and his estranged brother both attended Eton College in Berkshire at the same time, with Harry joining William in 1998, three years after William began studying there.

In an interview with a past WellChild winner who is hoping to break into television, Harry marked the 20th anniversary of the awards by saying: ‘I have always said for many years that I still have a child inside of me, and I think all of us do, and being amongst these kids brings that out of me.

‘I think out of all of the qualities that these kids have, without question, their resilience – top still.’

Harry ended the night of celebration at the Royal Lancaster Hotel by telling the award winners to ‘keep fighting, keep smiling’ as the charity honoured their efforts to succeed and thrive despite life-threatening conditions.

The Duke, who is WellChild’s patron, told the winners during the presentation ceremony ‘this is your moment’.

He added: ‘While we reflect on 20 years of these awards, the truth is that you are the story. You are the reason we gather here.

‘Each of you is a beacon of hope and inspiration, not just to those in this room, but to the nation. Keep fighting. Keep smiling. And above all, keep showing us what strength, courage and joy really look like.’ 

Harry is making a rare trip to the UK to carry out a string of charity and other engagements, and began his visit by earlier commemorating the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, by laying flowers at her resting place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

While he was remembering the late Queen, his estranged brother William was in the same county just seven miles away, paying tribute to their grandmother at a Women’s Institute gathering in Sunningdale, an organisation with a close association with Elizabeth.

But William and Harry could not have been further apart yesterday, on the third anniversary of the Queen’s death.

Despite at times being just seven miles – less than 15 minutes’ drive – away from each other on UK soil at last, the estranged brothers did not meet.

Indeed, they paid almost simultaneous, yet very much solo, tributes to the late monarch, who passed away at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022. 

Harry headed straight from Heathrow Airport to privately lay a wreath on the late Queen’s grave at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Meanwhile, William, accompanied by the Princess of Wales, was on an official visit to the Women’s Institute at nearby Sunningdale – an iconic British organisation proudly supported by his grandmother for 80 years.

While it is a coincidence that Harry’s trip to the UK, his longest for three years, began on such a poignant anniversary for the Royal Family, the visit has only served to emphasise the ongoing gulf between the brothers.

William, understandably in the eyes of many, has no intention – as it stands – of building bridges with his younger brother after years of deeply personal and, at times, inexplicably vicious attacks.

The King – who spent the anniversary of his accession quietly in Scotland with his wife, Queen Camilla – remains equally hurt and wary.

Buckingham Palace refused to confirm whether he will met Harry this week for the first time in more than 18 months.

Harry, who remains fifth in line to the throne, landed on a scheduled flight from his adopted home of California at Heathrow at around 10am yesterday, accompanied by two private US bodyguards.

He was met at its VIP Windsor Suite, normally used by working royalty, by another bodyguard in an unmarked car.

The vehicle left at 11.15am and whisked the prince to Windsor Castle, around ten to 15 minutes drive away, where he was taken to his grandmother’s grave, situated in the private King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Onlookers said they believe the chapel was closed to the public for around 20 minutes to allow Harry, 40, to make his visit in private, suggesting special permission had been sought, and given, for the visit. He departed at 11.53am.

In light of his defeat in the UK courts over the withdrawal of his round-the-clock security on quitting as a working royal, Harry is accompanied by a private team. Scotland Yard are understood to be aware of his visit and liaising with them.

His decision to take His Majesty’s Home Office to court over the loss of his taxpayer-funded security detail following his departure from the UK has been one of the reasons cited for his estrangement from his father.

Harry has long maintained that his own life, as well as the lives of his family, are at risk in the UK without it. Indeed, he insists it is still too dangerous for him to bring his wife and children here, although he is willing to ‘take that risk’ personally.

The Home Office and the Met say they are willing to offer the king’s son ‘bespoke’ protection on a case-by-case basis, if given advance notice.

Earlier this year Harry – who was left with an estimated £1million legal bill, as well as running up costs to British taxpayers of more than £650,000 – claimed his court defeat was an ‘establishment stitch-up’.