What you need to know
King Charles and Prince Harry may both be in the UK, but they won’t be running into each other this time.
While the Duke of Sussex appeared at the High Court in London on Monday, January 19, his father was in Edinburgh, Scotland, about 600 miles away.
At a reception to mark the Scottish Investment Forum at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, King Charles praised the entrepreneurial spirit of his people. The 77-year-old monarch was seen drinking whiskey from Falkirk Distillery Rosebank and toasting with Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes.
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According to Hello!, managing director Leonard Russell warned the king: “Be careful, it’s intense.” magazine.
The king later joked that the “terrible thing” about tasting whiskey was that “the pictures are never attractive,” the newspaper reported.
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Meanwhile, Prince Harry, 41, traveled from his home in California to attend the first day of the trial, which is expected to last nine weeks. The Duke of Sussex and other celebrities including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley are suing Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and Mail Online, for allegedly collecting illegal information. The Associated Press “categorically denied” the allegations, according to the BBC.
Prince Harry “feels confident and ready,” a spokesperson told sources.
“This is the culmination of many years of litigation,” a source told PEOPLE, referring to the Duke of Sussex’s lawsuit involving various British publishers. “He sees this as an injustice that needs to be righted.”
“People often don’t have the means to confront the power of the British tabloid media,” the source continued. “But he’s a lucky guy in that he has the resources, the ability to do this, the will and strength of character to take it on. He looks at it in the sense that if he doesn’t do it, who will?”
Prince Harry is scheduled to take the stand as the first witness on Thursday, January 22nd.
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Prince Harry was reunited with King Charles during his visit to the UK in September, but he won’t be meeting his father this time. This reunion was a milestone moment for the two, who had been estranged in recent years. Sources close to Prince Harry previously told PEOPLE that the king has not been answering his son’s calls and his messages have gone unanswered.
In May last year, Prince Harry told BBC News that he wanted to “reconciliate” with his family. He also admitted that some of his actions in recent years, such as writing his memoir Spare, have made it difficult for his family to talk to him.
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One challenge is Prince Harry’s struggle to have police protection restored during his visit to his home country, but sources recently told PEOPLE there have been “positive” signs from the government about reversing the decision. This means a visit to the UK could become even more likely.
The Duke of Sussex has repeatedly said it would not be safe to bring his wife Meghan Markle, 44, and their two children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, to his country of birth without official security.
