Copyright hellomagazine
The royal spotlight has been firmly focused on the Prince of Wales this week, with William's eco adventure in Brazil making headlines. From HELLO!'s world exclusive where the Prince reiterated that everything he does is for his children's future – "As a father, I think constantly about the world my children will inherit. I want them to grow up surrounded by nature, opportunity and a sense of hope about the future" – to his glitzy Earthshot Prize Awards on Wednesday evening, when Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes took to the stage, William mania has rippled across Brazil and further afield. But interestingly, on the day that the future King touched down in Rio de Janeiro for his much-anticipated trip, his estranged brother Prince Harry dropped his own big travel plans. The Duke of Sussex's spokesperson announced that Harry would be travelling to Canada to commemorate "the annual period of Remembrancetide". As a former military man who served two tours in Afghanistan and described his ten years in the army as "the happiest times in my life", Harry always marks the period around Remembrance Day whether in public or private. In 2020, he and his wife Meghan Markle privately laid a wreath at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. Official photos were later released. This year, however, Harry is in Canada, a country that he holds dearly. He chose to stage the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, and it was during those games that he and his Meghan made their first public appearance as a couple. Harry also held the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler. And in 2019, the Sussexes chose Canada to seek refuge in with their baby son Archie, shortly before announcing they would be stepping down as senior royals. Why are William and Harry's trips happening at the same time? The timing of William and Harry's overseas travel feels, at best, awkward. But these trips are planned months, if not a year, in advance. Brazil was revealed as the 2025 Earthshot location back in April. Harry's trip to Canada was only announced two days before his arrival in the country, but a source close to the Duke stressed that he was invited on the trip by the True Patriot Love Foundation, a military charity he has previously supported. The dates of the event were set by the charity, not Harry himself. Therefore, it was not his choice to travel to Canada at the same time that William was spearheading his Earthshot mission in Brazil. Harry's spokesperson also said that Buckingham Palace was made aware of his Canada plans in advance "as a matter of courtesy". The source also reiterated that Harry's engagements in Canada, where he's been meeting war veterans and army personnel, are to commemorate "the period of Remembrancetide" which traditionally spans from 1 to 11 November. Those dates are not something he can dictate or move. As to the timing of Harry's announcement, two days before travel may seem tight. But the source put this down to security reasons. As has been well documented, Harry lost his Home Office-backed IPP (Internationally Protected Person) status after stepping back from royal duties in 2020. "As such he is not afforded the same level of security and protection as other 'working' members of the royal family," the source said, noting that advice from private security advisors and the event's security team provide guidance as to when trips like this can be announced. Awkward timing Nevertheless, the timing of the sequence of events feels clumsy. It may not have been calculated or intentional, but the optics are still poor. On the same night that William was giving his keynote speech at the Earthshot Prize Awards, photos of Harry posing with soldiers in Canada were published. And just hours before William's Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony took place, Harry penned a passionate essay entitled The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What it means to be British, describing the privilege of serving alongside men and women from all four corners of the UK. To add to the optics, a report also surfaced that same night, that Meghan is making a glamorous return to Hollywood and is filming scenes for a blockbuster starring Lily Collins, Brie Larson, Jack Quaid and Henry Golding. The clash in timing is something that the royal family has always tried to avoid among its own working members. A case in point is Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's loss of royal styles, title, honours and home. The statement from Buckingham Palace was released last week, a few days before William's trip to Brazil and his attendance at the COP30 summit, in the hope that the Andrew saga would simmer and not overshadow William's eco mission. No doubt that more Andrew headlines will reappear in the coming weeks, especially as he prepares to move out of his Windsor mansion Royal Lodge, but it's fair to say that this week's royal news cycle has been more focused on Earthshot. As an unwritten rule, the King and his family also avoid carrying out big royal tours or state visits simultaneously, so as not to overshadow each other. Clashes in the past William and Harry's apparent clash this week is not the first time such an incident has happened – or that royal watchers have clocked it. In September 2024, Princess Kate shared a heartwarming family video announcing that her chemotherapy course had finished, and that she was looking forward to retuning to royal duties. The footage showed William and Kate cuddling, the family enjoying the outdoors and walking through the woods. She described the past nine months as "incredibly tough for us as a family" and the cancer journey as "complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone". But just hours after the video was released, Netflix gave an update about Prince Harry's show, POLO, and confirmed its streaming date. In a similar vein, in December 2022, William and Kate were kicking off their official visit to the US. As they touched down, the trailer for Harry & Meghan, a revelatory six-part Netflix documentary, dropped at the same time. In March 2024, Meghan also announced the launch of her website and lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, now re-named As Ever. The brand was announced via a series of Instagram posts that also featured its logo. It happened just as her brother-in-law Prince William was due to speak at the Diana Awards, named after and held in honour of his late mother Princess Diana. At the time, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun there was "nothing accidental" about the timing. "The announcement of the new brand is totally consistent with the timing of all the Sussexes' announcements," he said. And back in 2023, Harry officially released his bombshell memoir Spare on 10 January, the day after his sister-in-law Kate's birthday. In the lead-up, he took part in sit-down interviews including with ITV's Tom Bradby and CBS anchor Anderson Cooper. Some of the revelations that came out of the book were fairly disparaging to his sister-in-law, including that Kate had made Meghan cry over her bridesmaids dresses.
