Prince Harry is believed to be back in Montecito after leaving the UK after two days of gruelling High Court evidence at the Mirror phone hacking trial – but reportedly avoided seeing his father and brother, who was less than half a mile from where he was staying.
The Duke of Sussex is said to have landed in California on Thursday evening, meaning that he will have left Britain around lunchtime on the same day – the same dash he took after King Charles’ Coronation in May.
He stayed at Frogmore Cottage for three nights, according to the Telegraph, but it is expected to be his last visit to the home he once shared with his wife because his father has evicted him from the early summer.
He is also understood not to have met with his father King Charles, nor brother Prince William, during his stay.
William is believed to be in the UK with his wife Kate carrying out several engagements near their Windsor home, Adelaide Cottage, just 700 yards from Frogmore.
Charles returned from Romania on Tuesday and went to a service at St James’s Roman Catholic Church, in Marylebone, that evening. On Wednesday, when Harry testified for the second day, Charles was at Buckingham Palace for a military event to thank servicemen and women who took part in the Queen’s funeral. He also met Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Admiral Sir Benjamin Key, the First Sea Lord.
The Duke of Sussex (pictured leaving the High Court), 38, returned to London this week to give evidence in his phone hacking trial
Harry and Meghan pictured kissing in the kitchen of Frogmore Cottage in footage from their Netflix documentary. Harry is likely to have stayed there for the last time
After concluding his evidence on Wednesday, Harry is said to have opted against extending his stay at Frogmore Cottage (pictured)
So close yet so far: Harry was just 700 yards from his brother William this week but reportedly made no attempt to see him
Relations between Harry and Meghan and William and Charles have been hit badly by the Sussexes transatlantic potshots since emigrating
The Duke of Sussex, 38, returned to London this week to give evidence across two days as part of his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers for damages over alleged hacking and other means of deception.
But after concluding his evidence on Wednesday, Harry is said to have opted against extending his stay at Frogmore Cottage and departed for his home in the US.
Staying with his security team, the short stay marked what is likely to have been Harry’s final nights in the Windsor property, having been evicted by his father just 24 hours after the release of his bombshell memoir Spare.
Despite being given until the early summer to leave the property, the Sussexes are understood not to be planning to visit the UK before then.
Harry flew to the UK to attend the High Court proceedings on Sunday night after celebrating Princess Lilibet of Sussex’s second birthday.
But he was accused of wasting court time after missing the first day of his historic case on Monday.
An exasperated judge rebuked the duke’s barrister when it became clear the royal witness was ‘unavailable’
The Mirror’s KC Andrew Green said it was ‘absolutely extraordinary’ that Harry was ‘not available for day one of his trial’.
Mr Justice Fancourt said he was ‘a little surprised’ that Harry was not there, and admonished Mr Sherborne for causing ‘timetable chaos’.
The duke appeared close to tears as he finished his historic day and a half of answering questions at the court on Wednesday afternoon.
The Duke of Sussex is suing MGN for damages over claims journalists used hacking, ‘blagging’ and other illegal means of deception
Prince Harry seen in a court sketch giving evidence at the High Court in London for a second day
During a turbulent final few hours in the witness box, the duke volunteered details of his chequered love life including a trip to a strip club.
The duke is suing MGN for damages over claims journalists used hacking, ‘blagging’ and other illegal means of deception to write 140 articles published over a 24-year period between 1996 and 2010.
MGN is contesting Harry’s claims and has either denied or not admitted that articles about Harry being examined at the trial involved phone hacking or unlawful activity.
Meanwhile, the controversial fly-on-the-wall documentary series featuring the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for Netflix has been postponed until next year, following the widespread backlash over The Crown.
Harry and Meghan had been working on the series as part of their rumoured $100 million (£88million) deal with the streaming giant.
But with The Crown accused of fabricating a ‘hurtful’ smear against King Charles by depicting him secretly plotting to oust the Queen, Netflix has now pushed it back.