Prince Harry rushed to Balmoral in Aberdeenshire on Thursday after news broke of the Queen’s poor health. The Duke of Sussex arrived shortly after his brother Prince William, his uncles Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and his aunt Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
What will Prince Harry’s royal role be now?
Following the Queen’s death, Prince Harry’s place in the line of succession has risen to fifth.
As such Harry may be required to act as a counsellor of state for his father if required, as was the case during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
As the son of the monarch, Harry may have been expected to support the King with his duties like Prince William will, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are no longer working members of the Royal Family.
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The pair are not expected to take up working royal roles any time soon as the family’s main base is California in the US.
Harry’s royal title has not changed since Charles became King, although under the George V Letters Patent of 1917, his children Archie and Lilibet are now eligible for Prince and Princess titles but it is not clear whether they will use them.
The loss of the Queen will be keenly felt by Harry as he was known to be incredibly close to his grandmother, despite reports of tensions between the Sussexes and other Royal Family members.
Meghan has also spoken of her adoration for the Queen, telling TV host Oprah Winfrey in her bombshell interview last year that “the Queen has always been wonderful to me”.
The Sussexes’ commitment to the Queen was clear last year when they named their only daughter Lilibet after the monarch’s childhood nickname.
After announcing their plans to step down as full-time royals, Harry also expressed his wish to continue to serve the Queen, but this was not agreed upon.
The Queen maintained her grandson and his family remained “much-loved family members” and the pair were welcomed to the UK in June to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee with other royals.
Harry also spoke warmly of seeing the Queen earlier this year during a visit to Windsor en route to the Invictus Games in The Hague.
Also absent from the royal gathering in Scotland was Kate Middleton, who remained in Windsor to look after her three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The Sussexes had been in Germany on Tuesday to attend an Invictus Games event in Dusseldorf.
The pair had also attended the One Young World Summit in Manchester on Monday.
Harry and Meghan will likely attend the Queen’s funeral whenever it takes place, as Harry returned to the UK in April 2021 for Prince Philip’s funeral.
