Missing: One duke. Last seen in April, answers to 'Aitch,' likes his crusts cut off. It has now been 41 days since Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, has been photographed in public. This duke has, for some reason, gone dark. No podcasts, no interviews, no veterans outings, no lawsuits, no courtroom appearances, no him popping up to prophesise from the mount about the very real harms of social media, and no Instagram videos of him learning to surf at an inland wave pool despite living a hot minute from the actual ocean. The 'no' list continues. No solo Netflix projects, no polo playing (as far as is publicly known), and no popping up in his guise as Chief Impact Officer for coaching company BetterUp.
Given we are now officially in June, it has been well over a month that the fifth in line to the throne has managed to fly so far under the radar as to be worthy of Area 51's attention. The only time the world has gotten a glimpse of Harry was when his wife Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, marked their eighth wedding anniversary with a tender Instagram snap of them smooching and by putting out an $89 candle that conjures the feeling of being 'surrounded by love and laughter.' Ditto when she marked their son Prince Archie's seventh birthday.
A Distant Cry from 2022
All of this is a distant, echoing cry from how things stood on this day in 2022. On June 3 that year, Harry donned a natty suit, trotted off to help mark his Granny's remarkable 70 years on the throne. It feels like history so ancient Pliny should have been taking notes, but only four years ago the royal family was still inviting the Sussexes to events, even if Windsor smiles tended towards the rictus – and Prince William and Kate, The Prince and Princess of Wales, gave them such a wide berth you could have driven one of Prince Phillip's carriage driving teams through it. In 2022, the duke and duchess flew to London to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's record-busting reign and her Platinum Jubilee. To look at photos of the duke and duchess during that trip feels like time travelling to a past so distant you have to squint.
What no one knew during that Jubilee trip was that it was the End Times – that in the space of just over six months, Queen Elizabeth would pass away and the world would get six hours of the Sussexes firing off via Netflix and Spare, their entire personal arsenal of hurt feelings, gripes, and injustices. Also on the menu, an all-you-can-eat buffet of private details about King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the Waleses. In the aftermath, Charles made his feelings painfully apparent by demanding they return the keys to Frogmore Cottage and his box set of The Office.
Harry's Professional Fire Has Dwindled
But back at that moment in time, in June 2022, Harry had a slew of irons in the professional, career-y fire, including mega deals with Netflix and Spotify and prestigious roles like being named as a Commissioner with the Aspen Institute on Information Disorder. He was leading! Cashing cheques! He had a glowing future in the land of opportunity and unlimited soda refills as a public figure and Hollywood player! Things certainly look different now. While Meghan is off launching candles, getting involved in an AI shopping app, and palling around with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organisation, Harry has gone MIA. When the duchess flew to Geneva to open the Lost Screen Memorial in May, it was solo, despite both she and Harry having previously shared the opening duties when they unveiled the powerful memorial together in New York in April 2025.
Controversy and Upcoming Events
What Harry has managed to do since he was last seen in public in April was to come under fire over his continued connection to the African Parks (AP) charity, whose rangers have been accused of rape and torture in the Congo. After AP commissioned a law firm to investigate, in May 2025, the not-for-profit admitted that 'human rights abuses have occurred.' Last week Harry attended a fundraising event for AP in Arizona, with the indigenous rights charity Survival International calling on Harry to resign from his role on the AP board, saying 'the problems on the ground have not been solved.' No images of Harry at the Arizona event have surfaced.
Or maybe the Duke of Sussex has just spent the last 41 days getting ready. In July, he will be back in the UK for one-year-to-go events in Birmingham ahead of next year's Invictus Games. The 2027 Games will be the first time the life-changing event is held back in Britain since its 2014 debut in London when both Charles and William enthusiastically lent their support. The obvious question is already being asked – will the King do the same next year? Could a whole lotta healing and mending of fences be on the horizon?
Harry, along with co-claimants Sir Elton John and Liz Hurley amongst others, is waiting on the judge's ruling in their $72 million court case against the publisher of the Daily Mail for alleged unlawful information gathering. (The Mail has denied wrongdoing.)
So maybe in May Harry was just keeping his powder dry and spending as much time at home on Number One Dad duty while he could. Maybe this is just the calm before whatever is the next Sussex storm. Or maybe, after everything, the bloke just wants a few weeks off. Hummingbird feeders, something the duke loves, don't just fill themselves.
