It’s possible that he won’t encounter any of his former school or military friends, as they represent “a part of the old pre-Meghan world” that Harry “dreads revisiting, Royal author and expert Tom Quinn claims.
During an exclusive chat with The Mirror, the expert said the Duke’s army friends felt “betrayed” by the way he wrote about military service in his memoir, Spare, and now they feel like they have “nothing in common” with him.
Mr Quinn told us: “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.Â
“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 also claimed that many of Harry’s old friends “don’t like Meghan” and blame the Duchess of Sussex for transforming the duke into what one of them called “Harry the Hippy”.Â
The expert added that one or two old clubbing friends have suggested meeting up with Harry but he is said to be “reluctant” as he is “aware” of how much he has changed.
Mr Quinn went on to say: “The truth is that Harry has reinvented himself in a way that just doesn’t work for his family or for friends from the past when he was a very different character, so he will spend most of his time in the UK alone in a hotel, but constantly on the phone to Meghan.”Â
The author did not mention which friends Harry might meet or avoid meeting while in the UK, but last year royal expert and correspondent Rebecca English said some people in the Duke’s friendship circle are “genuinely disgusted” that he dished on his family.Â
It is still unknown whether Harry will see his father King Charles during the brief trip.