Much has changed for the royal family since Prince William and Kate Middleton last visited the U.S. eight years ago and spent three days in New York. Then, she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte and the couple were only part-time working royals building up their charitable profile alongside William’s brother Harry.
Today, the picture for the royal family is strikingly different—with William and Kate now the Prince and Princess of Wales with busy timetables flying the flag for Britain, while Prince Harry has walked away from royal life amidst a very public feud.
The divisions between the two brothers will inevitably be a talking point this week as William and Kate touch down in the country that Harry and Meghan have made their home since stepping back as working royals in March 2020. There are no plans for the two couples to meet and William and Kate are said to be focused on the Earthshot Prize and won’t be distracted by other things. But the divisions between the Sussexes and the royal family remain firmly in the spotlight, with Harry’s memoir, Spare, set to be released in a few weeks.
Boston is a long way from California where Harry and Meghan now live, but the Sussexes will be traveling to New York for the Ripple of Hope Awards on December 6 where they are being honored for their “work on racial justice, mental health, and other social impact initiatives.” They are being recognized alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ripple of Hope Awards is just a few days after the Earthshot Prize on December 2 in Boston—and just 200 miles away—but William and Kate will have returned home to London by then.
In another twist, both couples are being met by members of the Kennedy family within the space of a few days. JFK’s daughter Caroline Kennedy will meet the Prince and Princess of Wales in Boston, welcoming them to the city with Mayor Michelle Wu as well as touring the JFK Presidential Library with Prince William.
Prince Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, will be rubbing shoulders with JFK’s niece Kerry Kennedy, who runs the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization in memory of her later father, Bobby Kennedy. She told a Spanish news outlet earlier this month that she admired the Sussexes. "They went to the oldest institution in U.K. history and told them what they were doing wrong, that they couldn't have structural racism within the institution; that they could not maintain a misunderstanding about mental health,” she said. “They knew that if they did this there would be consequences, that they would be ostracized, they would lose their family, their position within this structure, and that people would blame them for it. They have done it anyway because they believed they couldn't live with themselves if they didn't question this authority. I think they have been heroic in taking this step."
Her brother, however, told the Daily Mail that he thought the decision to award Harry and Meghan the honour was “bewildering.”
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.