Harry ‘on mission’ to mend relationship with UK as he turns 40 – live

The Prince of Wales surprised helicopter staff on Friday after making an unannounced visit to a base in Oxfordshire.

Prince William, 42, turned up at the official opening of the new Airbus Helicopters headquarters at Oxford Airport.

His appearance was not announced in advance and it is understood he was there in a private capacity.

According to The Telegraph, he was invited by Airbus because of his connection with London Air Ambulance, of which he is a patron.

He reportedly attended wearing a blue jumper and spoke informally with staff. He was also shown around the newly delivered Airbus H135, bound for London Air Ambulance, which was on display in the hanger.

The Duke of Sussex is celebrating his 40th birthday.

Harry is spending his milestone birthday on Sunday with Meghan and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

He is then said to be heading away for a gathering with close friends.

Harry enters his fifth decade in what has been a rollercoaster year for the royal family, with both the King and the Princess of Wales being diagnosed with cancer.

But the duke, who lives in California after stepping down from the working monarchy, remains estranged from his brother the Prince of Wales and faces a strained relationship with Charles.

When the King’s shock health news was announced in February, Harry made a transatlantic dash to see him but his meeting with his father was kept to just 45 minutes.

In comments released to the BBC, the duke said “I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40”, and described how fatherhood had given him a renewed sense of purpose to make “this world a better place”.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may return to the UK for Christmas, after reportedly receiving an invite from his uncle, Earl Spencer, at his home in Althorp House.

The couple are said to have received an invite to join their celebrations, along with their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

If they were to attend, it would be Meghan’s first trip back to the UK since the late Queen’s funeral in 2022.

Speaking to OK! magazine, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said: “Well, if an offer has indeed been made – which seems quite logical – and if they accepted, it would fly in the face of everything Harry has said about security. He has repeatedly said he believes it’s unsafe to bring his wife and children to the UK without a guarantee of official security.”

Prince George is said to have enjoyed his first ever flying lesson.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s eldest is said to have flown with an instructor as his parents watched from the ground at White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead, Berks, a 20-minute drive from their Windsor home.

An onlooker at the Berkshire airfield told The Sun: “He loved it. It’s the right time to start.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales watched their son soar into the air and come back to land safely just under an hour later.

Prince William admitted he would “love to fly helicopters” again as he paid a visit to Wales Air Ambulance headquarters in Llanelli, South Wales earlier in the week.

The future King spoke about how much he missed the role, and suggested he would come back and join the Wales Air Ambulance for a weekend.

“I can’t stop talking about helicopters and medical kits and all sorts,” William said. “I’m sorry I take ages waffling about it. I miss it all. I’m quite keen to stay a bit longer.

“I’m thinking I might come back for a weekend at some point. I saw the Cardiff team a while ago and said to them I’ll come back and join them.”

The princess has finished chemotherapy but said her “path to healing and full recovery is long”:

Thieves radied Southwark Foodbank, in Peckham High Street, on Sunday, stealing about £3,000 of food and hygiene products, as well as a laptop.

The food bank thanked the prince and princess on social media, saying it had been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from across society”.

The Duke of Sussex reaches his milestone 40th birthday on Sunday.

In a statement to the BBC, Harry said he was “excited” about reaching the milestone, adding: “Whatever the age, my mission is to continue showing up and doing good in the world.”

Forty photos – one for every year of Harry’s life – have been compiled to mark the duke entering his fifth decade.

The pictures, brought together by the PA news agency, show the transition of the youngest son of the King and the late Diana, Princess of Wales from newborn baby to cheeky toddler and beyond.

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Two new YouGov polls commissioned by The Times show that 49 per cent of Americans had a positive view of Harry, with 24 per cent reporting a negative view.

This makes him more popular than his father King Charles, just with 38 per cent of Americans having a positive view of Charles, compared with 33 per cent with a negative view.

Harry’s polling in the US even placed him ahead of the Princess of Wales, for whom 43 per cent of people said they had a positive view.