No one can guess when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) will next return to the United Kingdom, but one thing is for sure: it will not be this month. A source told Us Weekly (opens in new tab) that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "will not be attending" a party in honor of Princess Diana (opens in new tab) hosted by Prince William (opens in new tab) in late October.

The event was to accompany the July unveiling of Diana's statue (opens in new tab), which Harry attended, but was instead postponed to the fall. Given that Harry, Princess Diana's youngest son, currently lives far from England, it is not surprising that he would not want to make the trip, but sources in Us Weekly have not revealed why the Sussexes decided not to attend. Unfortunately, relations between the British and U.S. royal families have been strained in recent months (opens in new tab), which may explain why the California-based couple is still reluctant to jump on a plane across the Atlantic.

The Duke of Sussex's rare July visit to the UK means that his wife has yet to return to her in-laws' country since the couple's departure in 2020. It was previously rumored that the two might return to the UK together for Christmas (opens in new tab), but a royal expert later claimed that Markle may never travel again and that Prince Harry (opens in new tab) will delay his return as long as possible (opens in new tab) But the claim seems a bit far-fetched, as daughter Lilibet (opens in new tab) has yet to meet any of her father's family members.

The upcoming party for Diana celebrates the donors who helped make her statue a reality, and Harry makes sure to thank them despite his planned absence. Harry has been in personal contact with the donors regarding the event," another source told Us Weekly.