Prince Harry shared an insight into home life at home with his wife Meghan Markle as he revealed what they’ve been watching on Netflix together – but awkwardly failed to mention her show.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, is undertaking a rare four-day visit to the UK, first to attend the WellChild awards in London, before travelling up to Nottingham, where he announced a £1.1million donation to Children In Need yesterday.
On Monday, as he visited his late grandmother the Queen’s grave in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, Harry was a mere 16-minute drive from his estranged brother Prince William – though the two did not meet. It is not known whether Harry will meet King Charles III, who is currently at Balmoral and along with Queen Camilla has no public engagements planned for this week.
Later, he paid tribute in London to the seriously ill children and young people recognised by the charity WellChild as a ‘beacon of hope and inspiration’.
During a reception with the award winners ahead of the presentations, Harry chatted to Special Recognition winner Grace Tutt, 13, from Sevenoaks – who uses a wheelchair after a bus crash.
At one point, Grace asked Harry what he would recommend her to watch on Netflix – but the Duke awkwardly missed out on an opportunity to give a shout-out to his wife’s cookery and lifestyle show.
Instead, Harry shared that he and Meghan, who live in California together after stepping down as working royals, have been watching political thriller Hostage, and reality dating show Love Is Blind.
Harry said: ‘My wife and I just finished watching Hostage. It’s very good, it’s filmed here. If you haven’t seen it, you should watch it.
Prince Harry revealed what he and Meghan have been watching on Netflix together – but awkwardly failed to mention her show. Pictured speaking with 13-year-old Grace Tutt
The Duke, 40, made a cameo in season one of With Love, Meghan, but did not repeat his appearance in last month’s second season
‘Although if it’s unsuitable, it wasn’t my recommendation!’
The second season of With Love, Meghan was released on Netflix last month – and is one of the final projects of the Sussexes’ £80million Netflix deal.
However, it was met with scathing reviews by critics, who labelled the Duchess of Sussex ‘needy’ and ‘narcissistic’ in her second attempt at small-screen stardom.
It was dubbed ‘marginally less mad but more needy’ than its predecessor season one – despite pulling in millions of viewers in its debut run.
The Mail’s Liz Jones branded the new season ‘staged, fake and dull’ – but unlike other critics, commended Meghan for being ‘genuinely earnest’.
The Guardian dismissed the show as ‘so boring’ and ‘so contrived’, while The Telegraph described the Duchess as a ‘Montecito Marie Antoinette’.
The Times was equally cutting, calling the eight-part show ‘a series in search of a meaning, fronted by a woman in need of some cash’.
Even with celebrity guests including Chrissy Teigen, John Legend and Tan France, critics argued the show lacked substance – and claimed Meghan failed to be authentic.
The Netflix show (pictured) was filmed last year in a rented home in Montecito, close to the Sussexes’ own mansion
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex laughs with 13-year-old Grace Tutt (centre), recipient of the Special Recognitions award
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, play-fights using swords made from modelling balloons with nine-year-old Gwen Foster, recipient of the Inspirational Child 7-11 award
On Monday, the Duke of Sussex returned to the UK for the first time in five months for a four-day visit, though Meghan has stayed behind in California with their children, Archie and Lilibet.
The fact the brothers were so close but did not meet suggests that while they were united in grief, they are still worlds apart. There are, however, hopes of a royal reunion between Harry and his father, King Charles, who have not met in 19 months.
As Harry solemnly paid a private tribute to the late Queen, the Waleses were entertained at the local branch of the Women’s Institute (WI), where William said he ‘can’t quite believe it has been three years already’ since his grandmother’s death.
During their visit, William was also asked if Prince Louis, seven, is ‘a handful’. Smiling and suppressing his laughter, William replied: ‘To be honest, he’s a character, but he’s a very good boy.’
He added that his youngest son, who is known for his cheeky displays at public events, likes to ‘wind his brother and sister up’.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry was delighting youngsters with a cheeky balloon sword fight at the WellChild Awards.
Harry, dressed in a sharp navy suit and tie, 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 inspirational children and families being honoured, giving each young guest his full attention.
Prince Harry arrives for a visit to the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham yesterday
Prince William visits Spiral Skills, a youth organisation in Lambeth, South London, yesterday morning
In one heart-warming moment, shared on WellChild’s Instagram stories, the Duke got into a playful balloon sword fight with nine-year-old Gwen, who proudly showed off her sparkling trainers to the royal.
Yesterday, Harry announced he is making a £1.1million donation to BBC Children in Need in his latest charm offensive, as Prince William announces funding for a homeless charity.
He was greeted by a modest crowd at the Community Recording Studio (CRS) Nottingham as he announced the donation amid speculation over whether he will meet his estranged father and brother.
The sum of money will help support work tackling violence affecting young people.
Meanwhile, Prince William’s Homewards initiative confirmed funding for the charity Spiral Skills to move into a new hub for young people at The Oasis Village in Tulse Hill.
The Prince of Wales was visiting a youth organisation in Lambeth, South London, while his brother was in Nottingham.
About 100 locals, including a group of young children, gathered by a garage on the other side of the road in Nottingham to clap and cheer for Harry – who arrived 45 minutes late after getting stuck in traffic as a result of London’s ongoing Tube strike.
But the crowd was a big contrast to when Harry and Meghan Markle carried out their first official engagement together in Nottingham in December 2017, where hundreds of excited well-wishers chanted their names or stretched out hands to greet them.
Prince William and Kate during a visit to the National Federation of Women’s Institutes in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on Monday to mark the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death
The visit to Nottingham to the project he has supported for a number of years was announced on Sunday, two days before Harry’s trip – but royal fans who arrived for a glimpse of the Duke noted that they were surprised how few people had turned up.
Harry and Charles last met face-to-face in February 2024 when the Duke made a transatlantic dash to see the monarch after hearing of his cancer diagnosis, but they spent just over 30 minutes together before the King left for Sandringham.
Both Harry and William attended the funeral of their uncle Lord Fellowes in Norfolk a year ago in August 2024, but there was reportedly no interaction between them.
Senior aides to the King and Harry were pictured together in London this July in what was reported to be an initial step towards opening channels of communication between the two sides.
Harry, who levelled accusations at the King, Queen, William and Kate in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary and memoir Spare, told the BBC in May that Charles will not speak to him because of his court battle over his security, and he does not know ‘how much longer my father has’.
But he also outlined his hopes for a ‘reconciliation’ with his family, saying: ‘Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things.’
He added: ‘But you know, I would love reconciliation with my family’ and said there was ‘no point in continuing to fight any more’.
Harry’s level of security changed in 2020 after Megxit.
He was last in the UK in April for a court hearing about his security arrangements, but lost his Court of Appeal challenge in May and said in the TV interview he ‘can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back’.
He failed in his appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office, over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK.
