Prince Harry returns to LA on Queen's birthday as she celebrates in low-key fashion at Windsor
Watch: Prince Harry Has Returned Home to L.A.
The Duke of Sussex has returned safely home to California, where he was reunited with his pregnant wife and son Archie following the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.
Prince Harry, 36, is thought to have flown into Los Angeles on an American Airlines flight from London Heathrow.
His chauffeur-driven vehicle was seen leaving the private terminal at LAX minutes after the plane landed at around 1.30pm local time (9.30pm BST) on Tuesday and was spotted again arriving at the Sussexes’ home in Montecito at around 4pm.
Sources close to the Duke confirmed the news some 15 hours later.
Prince Harry spent time privately with several family members while in England, meeting the Queen at least twice as well as his cousin Princess Eugenie and her newborn son, August, it was claimed.
Omid Scobie, the Duke and Duchess’s biographer, said that while he spoke with his father, the Prince of Wales, and brother, the Duke of Cambridge, after the funeral, as revealed in the Telegraph, family tensions remained.
He quoted a source as saying: “This trip was to honour the life of his grandfather and support his grandmother and relatives.
“It was very much a family-focused period of time. Saturday broke the ice for future conversations but outstanding issues have not been addressed at any great length. The family simply put their issues to one side to focus on what mattered.”
His return means he did not see the Queen as she marked her 95th birthday at Windsor Castle.
Watch: Queen’s 95th birthday to be private and low-key
This year, the Queen's birthday has passed without a gun salute for a second time, as she mourns the loss of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Her Majesty will continue to observe a period of mourning until Friday, April 23.
She was expected to have a quiet lunch with close family members at Windsor Castle, the details of which remained private.
The Royal family’s social media channels marked the sovereign’s birthday by releasing a new photograph, although there are not expected to be any further commemorations. It said on Twitter:
Today is The Queen’s 95th birthday.
HM was born on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in London, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York.
This year The Queen remains at Windsor Castle during a period of Royal Mourning following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh. pic.twitter.com/kOeH399Ndp— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 21, 2021
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, is heavily pregnant and thought to be expecting their second child, a daughter, in early June. She was advised not to travel to the funeral by her doctors.
The Duke will return to the UK at the end of that month to stand alongside his brother for the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, on July 1 at Kensington Palace.
Read more: How the Queen has celebrated her birthday over the years