Prince Harry has been accused of trying to upstage his brother Prince William after announcing his own tour to Canada just minutes after the future king completed his first engagement in Brazil on Monday.Julie Dunnett, Gemma Strong Lifestyle Writer and Amy Jones Lifestyle & Features Writer
18:09, 09 Nov 2025Updated 18:12, 09 Nov 2025
Prince Harry in a Scotty’s Little Soldiers scarf(Image: PA)
Prince Harry has faced a barrage of criticism this week after being compelled to reject claims he was attempting to overshadow his brother whilst penning a piece about British identity – despite having departed the UK on what some dubbed a ‘freedom flight’. Now he’s been seen celebrating whilst fellow royals pay their respects to the fallen at Remembrance ceremonies.
The Duke of Sussex, who arrived in Canada for what appeared to be a quasi-royal visit on Thursday, sparked controversy with an opinion piece entitled ‘The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What it means to be British – By Prince Harry ‘, despite his current residence in America.
He nostalgically reflected on how the “banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands” represent the very “things that make us British”, declaring, “I love it.”
However, beneath the sentimental language, one behaviour analyst has suggested the article reveals several hints regarding his future intentions.
Judi James has highlighted one specific passage penned by Harry, which states: “Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for. The banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it.”
The Duke of Sussex speaking at the True Patriot Love’s National Tribute Dinner in Toronto(Image: Laura Proctor/True Patriot Love/PA Wire )
She told the Mirror: “‘Though currently, I may live in the United States,’ is the fascinating line though, both for its wording and its use of punctuation. ‘Though I now live in the United States’ would be a statement of non-negotiable fact. But Harry adds ‘currently’ and ‘may’ to make it sound less fixed and solid.
The use of the word ‘currently’ sounds negotiable, appearing to hint at a return to the UK. It’s a word that leaves things open, like: ‘I’m currently single’ would imply a desire to get married or ‘I’m currently unemployed’ would suggest someone is searching for work.”
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Judi went on: “It sounds like a teaser in terms of a return to the UK… Harry’s choice of wording hints that he’s not only possibly homesick but that a return of some sort might be on the horizon.”, reports the Mirror.
She also reckons his remarks suggest he’s yearning for Prince William – from whom he remains estranged. “Harry was a man who grew up and cut his teeth on banter, especially with his brother William,” Judi revealed.
“Interviews back in the day show their banter together was relentless and there is a suggestion that in promoting the word so strongly and emphatically here Harry is implying (perhaps subconsciously) how much he misses his older brother.”
Regarding Meghan, Judi suggests the essay reveals he finds American life somewhat unfulfilling. “He sounds embarrassed by this ‘reveal’ though,” she observes.
“By adding ‘ridiculous as it sounds’ he seems to be apologising to his US audience, perhaps even to his own family for this admission of nostalgia and what sounds like a sense of longing. This is an important-sounding admission too.
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The Duke of Sussex has been in Toronto, Canada, this week and has been meeting veterans(Image: Laura Proctor/True Patriot Love/Pa Wire)
Most ex-pats yearn for jars of Marmite or English tea bags, but Harry is letting everyone know, including Meghan here, that he’s missing a kind of shared, intense, complex humour that he might not be able to get in the US.”
The bombshell revelation emerged less than 24 hours after Harry’s intentions were questioned when he revealed his own Canadian trip just moments after his elder brother William wrapped up his first engagement in Brazil on Monday.
His Toronto visit to connect with veterans, armed forces community members and military charities clashes directly with William’s significant Brazilian journey for his Earthshot Prize’s fifth anniversary – something Royal expert Victoria Arbiter branded as “inevitable if not predictable” on X.
She highlighted how in 2022 during William’s Boston trip for the awards, the preview for Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary was released. Likewise, in 2023, whilst William was attending the Earthshot ceremony in Singapore, Harry delivered a speech at the Stand Up for Heroes event in New York City.
Once more, in November 2024, whilst his sibling championed the Awards in Cape Town, Harry also made an unexpected appearance at the Pat Tillman Foundation’s 20th annual Tillman Honours gala in Chicago. One social media user remarked: “Funny how Harry’s ‘announcements’ ALWAYS coincide with Earthshot Awards.”
Another chimed in: “Very predictable like clockwork.”
The revelation also disclosed that the Duke would be undertaking engagements simultaneously with William; Harry’s visit commenced on the identical day as William’s 2025 Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony, which occurred on November 5 at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro.
Throughout William’s journey to Brazil this week, one journalist addressing the future King hinted at the controversy surrounding Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and William’s fractured relationship with Harry and Meghan. Nevertheless, the prince tactfully sidestepped being drawn into commentary on either matter, instead telling the Brazilian audience he wishes to surround himself “with people who do good”.
Meanwhile, on Thursday evening, Harry joined veterans for the True Patriot Love’s National Tribute Dinner in Toronto. He delivered a speech regarding his personal connection with Canada’s military and good-naturedly apologised for donning an LA Dodgers cap at the World Series with Meghan last week rather than sporting a Toronto Blue Jays cap.
The Prince of Wales speaking during the COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil on Thursday(Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
Harry justified his choice of cap, jesting: “Oh the LA Dodgers hat, hatgate. Firstly, I would like to apologise to Canada for wearing it. I was under duress, there wasn’t much choice, I was invited to the LA Dodgers box or the dugout by the owner himself so I thought I was doing what was the polite thing to do.”
He then added with a touch of humour: “But the other piece to this was… when you’re missing a lot of hair on top and you’re sitting under floodlights, you’ll take any hat that’s available.”
Whilst Princess Kate and Prince George were joining the King and Queen at the moving Festival of Remembrance in London to pay tribute to our armed forces, Harry was living it up with Meghan at Kris Jenner’s James Bond themed birthday party.
The couple were spotted looking dapper as they entered the glitzy 70th birthday celebration, hosted at billionaire Jeff Bezos’ £125million mansion in Beverly Hills. Guests including Bill Gates, Adele and Justin Bieber joined Kris and her famous offspring to celebrate.
Harry donned a classic black tuxedo with a crisp white shirt and a poppy, while Meghan chose a long-sleeved black turtleneck top, paired with a black maxi skirt featuring a thigh high slit.
Following criticism regarding the timing of the Toronto visit this week, Harry’s team in California released a statement categorically rejecting claims that he had deliberately attempted to upstage his brother’s Royal tour.
Schedule conflicts have historically been discouraged within the Royal household and are understood to have featured amongst the discussion points when Harry’s representatives met with King Charles’ team for reconciliation talks this summer.
His spokesperson explained that Harry’s international journeys can only be revealed at specific moments based on guidance from personal security consultants, given that he is “not afforded the same level of security and protection as other working members of the Royal Family “.
A spokesperson also clarified that Harry is in Canada this week for Remembrance occasions – the timing of which remains beyond Harry’s control.
They stated: “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 Remembrance tide 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: “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. 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.”
Buckingham Palace has remained silent on the scheduling conflict, but one Royal expert believes it bodes ill for the family reconciliation Harry claims to desire.
Tom Sykes, Royal correspondent for the Daily Beast, revealed in his newsletter that palace insiders were distinctly unimpressed by the timing of Harry’s announcement, with one former aide stating: “It’s not subtle.”
Harry is currently on a trip meeting veterans in Toronto(Image: Copyright Laura Proctor 2025, all rights reserved)
The decision has reportedly “raised tempers” among “William’s friends”.
He added: “Harry’s decision to stage a public event during the traditional Remembrance period will strike many observers as needlessly antagonistic. To many inside and outside the royal machine, Harry will appear motivated by resentment and a desire for revenge rather than respect for the Remembrance calendar. If so, it is a miscalculation – and a reminder that the brothers’ ceasefire remains anything but secure.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the Prince of Wales at the Cop30 summit(Image: Mauro Pimentel/PA Wire)