Prince William and Prince Harry Step Out Just 12 Miles Apart During London Appearances

No reunion is expected between the estranged brothers during Harry’s return to the U.K.

Prince William in Hanwell, West London on July 7, 2026; Prince Harry in central London on July 7, 2026.Credit : 

Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP via Getty; JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty

Estranged brothers Prince William and Prince Harry are undertaking separate engagements just miles apart in London.

Harry, 41, stepped out for the first official event of his U.K. return on Tuesday, July 7, attending the 14th Invictus Games Foundation Conversation: From Policy to Practice at Chatham House in London.

Just 12 miles away and around the same time, William, 44, visited Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain (The London Welsh School) in Hanwell, West London, to join students in sending their best wishes to Team Wales ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Despite their close physical proximity, the brothers are not expected to reunite during the Duke of Sussex’s visit to his home country.

The brothers’ separate appearances came as Harry suffered a significant legal setback in his years-long battle against the British press. Earlier on Tuesday, a judge dismissed the Duke of Sussex’s lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, finding that Harry and the six other claimants had failed to prove their allegations that the publisher unlawfully obtained private information through methods including private investigators, deception, phone hacking or corrupt payments.

Despite the setback, Harry showed no outward sign of frustration as he arrived at Chatham House, smiling and appearing relaxed as he greeted attendees after likely learning of the ruling only minutes earlier.

The feud between Prince William and Prince Harry exploded into public view in 2020, when Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal duties and moved to her home state of California. The rift is widely reported to have started when William expressed concerns to his brother about his relationship with Meghan moving too quickly.

In his 2023 memoir, Prince Harry referred to Prince William as both his “beloved brother” and his “archnemesis,” detailing the underlying “competition” in their relationship and even a disagreement that turned physical.

In recent years, there has been no communication between the siblings. They have not seen each other on Prince Harry’s visits to the U.K., and they reportedly kept their distance from each other when they both attended the funeral of their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes in August 2024.

Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers, previously told PEOPLE: “The rift is very profound and very long-lasting. It will not be changed, in my opinion, until Harry makes a move and apologizes.”

Added historian Amanda Foreman: “Everyone wants it to happen on their terms, but that’s what makes it impossible.”

No plans for Prince Harry to reunite with any of his family members have been revealed, but he has met with his father, King Charles, on past U.K. visits in recent years.

There was hope that the King, 77, would have a rare meeting with Harry and Meghan’s two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, as the family announced their plans to return to the U.K. for the first time since 2022.

However, PEOPLE learned over the weekend that Meghan, 44, and the children would not accompany Harry to London amid security concerns. No decision has been made yet on whether the family will join the Duke of Sussex for other parts of his visit outside the capital city.