Real reason Royal Family are distancing themselves from Prince Harry | Royal | News

It’s been a big week for Prince Harry, having taken to the stand in his High Court trial against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) and given emotional testimony about how the publishers have impacted his life. Choked up with emotion, he told the court that ANL have “made my wife’s life an absolute misery” and described the ordeal as “traumatic”, “horrible” and “fundamentally wrong” to put him and the other claimants through a trial when all they seek is accountability. 

He is one of seven high-profile figures suing the publisher over allegations of unlawful information gathering. It’s an incredibly personal case for the Duke of Sussex, who has made it his personal mission to hold the press to account. In his testimony last week, it was clear that Harry resented being born into an institution where he had to tow the family line to ‘never explain, never complain’ and felt unable to challenge what was being said about him.

Now, he wants to reclaim control and highlight the ill-treatment of him and his wife.

Meanwhile for the rest of the Royal Family it was business as usual. Heads down and channeling their attention to their duties, senior royals undertook engagements across the UK in a bid to draw attention away from Harry’s latest drama.

It’s a tried and tested approach, utilised whenever the Sussexes are back on UK soil or causing a stink elsewhere. When it comes to Harry’s extensive litigation, the Firm want to distance themselves from the saga as much as possible – which is why no meeting between father and son was held this time around.

Though the King was just two miles away when Harry took the stand on Wednesday, the monarch quietly went about his duties before leaving the capital with little fanfare.

Reconciliation continues to be a hot topic, but all the while the Duke continues to wage war against the press and criticise the institution his family belongs to, little progress will be made. And the Royal Family’s decision to keep calm and carry on?

A masterstroke, and quite frankly the only suitable response to the situation they continue to find themselves in.

Fair play to the Prince and Princess of Wales who on Tuesday didn’t shy away from taking on the curling challenge. Having never tried the sport before, the future king and queen took to the ice and saw for themselves just how hard it was to ‘throw the stone’ – as it’s technically known. I’ve long had a fascination with the sport, with its similarities to bowls and fierce tactics, but even I was taken aback by just how difficult it looked.

Using the foot holds as a springboard and sliding along the ice while concentrating on releasing your stone (which I may add are a lot heavier than they look at about 20kg!) with the perfect weight is a tricky task – as the couple found out for themselves.

Catherine was apprehensive at first, unsurprising given we were standing just metres away from her poised with our cameras, ready to film and take photos.

But that didn’t stop her from quickly asking for a second go and then defeating her husband in a stone off. What makes the win all the more impressive was she was wearing a long skirt and her hair down, a bit of a change from the uniform the Team GB athletes will be donning in Italy next month for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

While all eyes have been on a different Spice Girl this week (where have you been if you haven’t been thinking about Brooklyn Beckham’s first dance…), the Queen was joined by Ginger Spice on her visit to a cancer support charity last week.

Geri Halliwell made a surprise appearance at Maggie’s Cheltenham centre in Gloucestershire on Wednesday, joining Camilla to meet people living with the disease and celebrate its 30th anniversary.

The Queen, who has met the singer before, warmly embraced Geri upon arrival and afterwards the pop star was full of admiration for the royal.

“I’m such a big fan of the Queen,” she said. “I think she’s amazing and stoic. I think she’s fantastic, a formidable force of nature. She’s watched Maggie’s grow, and it teaches us that we need each other.”

There’s not long to wait until the King’s documentary on his lifelong commitment to protect the environment will be released. The feature-length film will air on Amazon Prime from February and ahead of the show’s release, a glitzy premiere will be held at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

VIP guests will join the King and Queen and the film’s narrator, Kate Winslet, to watch Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision. The screening takes place in the Waterloo Chamber, which is used for investiture ceremonies.

While I’ll also get to see a preview of the show, it won’t be at the black tie event that will see guests tuck into drinks and canapes in the Grand Reception Room afterwards!

Last week an old rule affecting those living on the Sandringham Estate was dredged up ahead of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s move to Norfolk. All tenants living on the rural estate are banned from keeping cats, a rule Queen Elizabeth II is understood to have brought in amid fears the pets would prey on the chicks of game birds breeding on the 20,000-acre estate.

While Andrew is not known to have any pets, he does look after the late Queen’s beloved corgis, Sandy and Muick.

The disgraced ex-prince and his ex-wife adopted the dogs following the monarch’s death. It is not yet known which of the pair will keep them, after Buckingham Palace confirmed they would remain with the family.

But fortunately for Andrew dogs are considered at Sandringham on a case-by-case basis, and given everything he’s already lost, I can’t see the King saying no to Andrew keeping these particular royal canines.