Curious Harry detail in new William and Kate social media post

The timing of a key William and Kate update has raised eyebrows for one very significant reason.

IN LONDON

The timing of a key update by the Prince and Princess of Wales, just hours before a high-profile Prince Harry appearance has raised eyebrows.

The Duke of Sussex’s return to London this week to present at Monday’s WellChild Awards attracted plenty of attention – but shortly before that kicked off, his estranged brother and sister-in-law shared their “monthly rewind” summary on X (formerly Twitter).

It might not have caused much of a stir, except for the fact the recap is usually released on the first of the month – but this time around, they released it a day early, and less than two hours before Harry’s engagement got underway.

Prince Harry made a high-profile appearance at the WellChild Awards in London on Monday.

The Wales’ recap featured the significant news of Kate’s cancer treatment being complete. Picture: Will Warr/Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram

A royal insider reportedly told US news website The Daily Beast that it was the “age old weaponisation of scheduling”.

“The different principals were always supposed to try — but often failed — not to schedule high-profile events for the same day to avoid knocking each other off the front pages.

“It’s less of an issue now that there are fewer of them. But old habits clearly die hard, and there is no reason now that William should make allowances for Harry’s schedule,” the source said.

“I certainly wouldn’t buy anyone saying it just happened to be posted so late in the day by accident. A ‘monthly rewind’ could equally well have gone out the next day, or earlier in the day,” the insider said.

“It looks to me like someone is stirring the pot and letting Harry know he is not going to have it all his own way if he wants to pitch up in London and do what always used to be a royal job on a freelance basis.”

Meanwhile, a friend of William’s reportedly told the publication that it had “nothing to do” with Harry.

“It’s the end of the month and at the end of the month they do release the rewind. I’m sure the time of day they did it had nothing to do with Harry,” the insider said.

“But I think what is notable is that it shows how much they do on a monthly basis, and if that has been inadvertently highlighted it’s no bad thing.”

Harry is currently in Lesotho, pictured here with Prince Seeiso, as part of his work with his Sentabale charity. Picture: Brian Otieno/Getty Images

The brothers have been caught up in a public rift in recent years, following Harry’s criticisms of William and Kate in the Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, and his explosive memoir, Spare.

The recap featured the announcement that Kate had finished her cancer treatment, multiple updates about William’s Earthshot Prize and his art exhibition event in support of initiatives combating homelessness, and the princess’ recent private visit to a ballet performance in London.

Meanwhile, Harry is currently in the midst of a flurry of solo trips, which began with a jam-packed few days in New York City, followed by London and now Lesotho.

The visit – his first time back in southern Africa in five years – included a reunion with Prince Seeiso, of the nation of Lesotho, with whom he co-founded his charity Sentebale in 2006, to help support children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana living with (or at risk) from HIV.

During a bonfire at a children’s centre on Tuesday night, Harry spoke of the impact of Sentebale on the region.

“We’re hitting the targets, not just Sentebale but all of the departments are, and it’s making a massive difference, and it is this surge of energy and optimism and the voice of young people ranging from six to 25 – and the biggest difference of which really needs more work, is when people from the top start listening.”

The prince will be undertaking engagements associated with Sentebale over the next week, visiting centres and showcasing the charity’s work to new and existing donors.

Originally published as Curious Harry detail in new William and Kate social media post