The Duke of Sussex is set to embark on a trip to Canada this week, with his visit coinciding directly with his brother, the Prince of Wales’s, major tour of Brazil, which includes the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.
The timing of the engagements is likely to fuel further speculation regarding the long-reported rift between the royal siblings.
Prince William has commenced a pivotal overseas trip, beginning in Rio de Janeiro with a welcome ceremony on Sugarloaf Mountain.
His itinerary includes hosting the glittering Earthshot Prize ceremony in Rio on Wednesday, before travelling to the Cop30 climate change talks in the Amazon to represent his father, the King.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry’s visit to Toronto, announced just minutes after William’s Brazilian debut, will see him meet with veterans, members of the armed forces community, and military charities.
This journey marks Remembrancetide, the two-week period leading up to Remembrance Sunday.
A spokesperson for the duke insisted the Canadian visit had been “almost a year in the planning,” adding that the announcement’s timing was due to a “truncated” period for revealing his engagements for security reasons.
They also confirmed that the Royal Communications team had been consulted and made aware of Harry’s plans in advance.
He will attend a lunch with the military charity True Patriot Love Foundation on Wednesday and then a private fundraising function with the Halo Trust in the evening, the same day as William’s Earthshot Prize awards, the cornerstone of his ambitious drive to save the planet.
The next day, 6 November, the duke will visit the Veterans Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, one of the largest veteran care facilities in Canada, and then in the evening, attend the 17th annual True Patriot Love National Tribute Dinner in celebration of military members, veterans and their families.
The duke’s spokesperson said: “The events were planned nearly a year ago.
“The date of the main event, the dinner, is set by the charity, not Prince Harry.
“The period of Remembrancetide traditionally extends from the 1-11 November and has done since 1918, over 100 years.
“He can’t choose to move those dates.”
The spokesperson added that the duke was “not afforded the same level of security and protection as other ‘working’ members of the royal family”.
They added: “It means therefore, that the period of time in which we can can release details of events is much more truncated than it is for His Majesty the King or the Prince of Wales.
“We are always guided – as to when we can announce trips like this, by the advice given to us by his private security advisers and the event’s security team.”
They added: “This visit, months in the planning, marks a return to a city that has a special place in the Duke’s heart, having played host to the Invictus Games back in 2017.”
Harry stepped down as a working senior royal in 2020 during Megxit and moved to the US.
The duke, who served in Afghanistan, was invited to Canada by the True Patriot Love Foundation.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.independent.co.uk ’
