Prince Harry's 'lonely' UK visit as old friends 'won't see him' after 'betrayal'

Prince Harry is set to spend a significant amount of his upcoming UK visit alone, according to royal expert Tom Quinn.

The Duke of Sussex will be in London next week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his successful Invictus Games, with a ceremony scheduled at St Paul's Cathedral on May 8.

However, instead of staying at a royal residence or with friends, it's believed he'll be checking into a hotel room alone. Quinn suggests that Harry may not meet up with any of his old school or army pals as they represent "a part of the old pre-Meghan world" that he reportedly dislikes revisiting.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Quinn revealed that Harry's military friends felt "betrayed" by his depiction of military service in his memoir, Spare, and now believe they have "nothing in common" with him.

Quinn told our sister paper: "Harry has a few friends from the army and from his days at school, but they are a part of the old pre-Meghan world that Harry hates to revisit, so he will indeed spend a great deal of his time in the UK alone. His military friends feel he has betrayed them by writing about his military service in such an un-military way and his old Etonian friends don't like the new 'woke' Harry. Conservative with both a small and a big C, they see the new Harry as a tree-hugger with whom they have nothing in common."

He further claimed that many of Harry's former companions "don't like Meghan" and hold her responsible for turning the Duke into what one described as "Harry the Hippy". The expert added that a couple of Harry's past party-going mates have hinted at catching up, yet Harry appears "reluctant" because he is "aware" of the extent of his transformation.

Additionally, Mr Quinn stated: "The truth is that Harry has reinvented himself in a manner that simply doesn't gel with his family or with old friends from the times when he was a markedly different person, so he will spend most of his time in the UK alone in a hotel, but constantly on the phone to Meghan."

While the author did not specify which of Harry's acquaintances he might see or steer clear of during his UK visit, royal expert and correspondent Rebecca English previously reported that some members of the duke's inner circle are "genuinely disgusted" by his revelations about his own family.

On the Daily Mail's royal programme, Palace Confidential, it was revealed: "From what I hear, there are a lot of people who are genuinely disgusted by what he's done since leaving the Royal Family. They feel very hurt by some of the revelations that he's made. As they were growing up, William and Harry created a very close-knit circle of friends around each other.

"There was almost a kind of omerta between them. There are people who said: 'We've been very loyal to him over the years and we don't feel that loyalty's been repaid'."

The extent of Harry's closeness with his UK friends, with whom he attended school and underwent Army training, remains uncertain. However, Harry has suggested that his criticism of the royals left some friends and family members baffled.

In his revealing memoir Spare, he confessed that he had fallen out with some of his old friends following his televised attack on the Royal Family during his and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. In his book, Harry stated: "Several close mates and beloved figures in my life, including one of Hugh and Emilie's (van Cutsem) sons, Emilie herself, and even Tiggy (former nanny), had chastised me for Oprah.

"How could you reveal such things? About your family? I told them that I failed to see how speaking to Oprah was any different from what my family and their staff had done for decades briefing the press on the sly, planting stories."

In 2021, a former army colleague of Harry's expressed his belief that the prince would "regret" his decision to step back from royal duties. Martyn Compton, who has been friends with Harry for nearly two decades and was severely burned in Afghanistan in 2006, has often been seen at social events with the royal.

He stated: "As Prince Harry's friend and someone who has served alongside him, I'm shocked and amazed it's all come to this. I genuinely hope the interview with Oprah Winfrey and all that goes with it is worth it to him as this is a very high price to pay."

Moreover, last summer, Harry missed the wedding of his close friend and alleged "real" best man, Jack Mann. Jack, who was pictured in Prince Harry's 'band of brothers' at his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle, was initially thought to have been one of the ushers at the event.

However, it was later suggested that Jack was actually Harry's "real best man", not his brother Prince William.

Jack tied the knot with Isabella Clark at St Peter's church in Stutton, Suffolk in July 2023, with guests including Harry's friend Thomas van Straubenzee, godfather to Princess Charlotte. Jack and Harry first crossed paths at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and their friendship blossomed over shared games of polo.

The duo, who both served tours of Iraq and Afghanistan with the British Army and were commissioned into the Blues and Royals, have a shared military history. However, the current status of their relationship is uncertain as the duke confessed in 'Spare' that he had disagreements with some of his old friends following his televised criticism of the Royal Family.

Representatives for Prince Harry have been approached by The Mirror for a comment.

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