Prince Harry (41) is causing excitement with his return to Great Britain, but Queen Camilla (78) is not letting that distract her. On Tuesday, the wife of King Charles (77) traveled to East Sussex and visited Ashdown Forest, the very woods that once inspired A. A. Milne's "Hundred Acre Wood" in the "Winnie-the-Pooh" stories. The occasion was the 100th anniversary of the first publication of the first volume in 1926, as the Royal Household writes on Instagram.
It was also an appearance in her role as patron of the Royal Literary Fund (RLF), the world's oldest literary charity. Wearing a green dress with a leaf pattern, she walked across the famous "Poohsticks Bridge" and didn't miss the opportunity to play "Pooh Sticks" with some children: This is where Milne and his son Christopher Robin used to throw little sticks into the water and wait to see which one would reappear first on the other side.
New "Queen's Walk" for Winnie-the-Pooh Fans
The program also included meetings with children's book authors such as "The Gruffalo" author Dame Julia Donaldson and the inauguration of a new hiking trail called "Queen's Walk". Camilla also visited the memorial to A. A. Milne and original illustrator E. H. Shepard and spoke with staff, volunteers, and schoolchildren from the region.
As usual, Camilla made no comment about her stepson Prince Harry. The disgraced royal is currently back in Great Britain and attended the premiere of the documentary film "Shoot the People" by his longtime friend, photographer Misan Harriman, in London on Monday.
No Meeting with Prince Harry?
Originally, his wife Duchess Meghan (44) and their children Prince Archie (7) and Princess Lilibet (5) were supposed to travel with him. For the children, it would have been their first trip to Great Britain since 2022. Harry came alone, but it's possible that the family might follow at a later date. The reason concerns unresolved questions about security: Since the couple's withdrawal as working royals in 2020 and their move to California, Harry and Meghan have lost their automatic police protection in the kingdom.
The accommodation also caused trouble in advance: On Saturday evening, Harry was reportedly according to the "Daily Mail" informed that he would no longer be allowed to stay at Buckingham Palace. He had supposedly hesitated too long to accept his father's invitation. Harry's spokesperson denied this and accused the Palace of withdrawing the offer "at the last moment".
Despite all the tensions, Harry is said to be seeking a meeting with King Charles III. He plans to stay in his homeland for five days. Plans include a visit to his mother Princess Diana's (1961-1997) grave at the family estate Althorp in Northamptonshire, as well as an appointment in Birmingham, where his Invictus Games will be held next year.
