The King and the rest of the royal family received some disappointing personal news this week – as Prince Harry gears up for his return to the UK next month
Prince Harry will reportedly turn down his father’s offer to stay at Buckingham Palace when he returns to the UK next month, in what is being seen as a form of “protest” against the royal family.
And the monarch is now facing further personal disappointment – albeit in a very different way. The Firm’s beloved family-run greengrocer Partridges has announced it is closing its flagship shop in Chelsea after 53 years.
The greengrocers, which was awarded a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth in 1994 and was granted another by the King just a few weeks ago, has supplied goods to the royal family for decades.
John Shepherd, who launched the company with his late brother Sir Richard Shepherd, said: “We are very sad to be leaving Chelsea after an incredible 53 years serving local residents. Although our Chelsea chapter is coming to an end, we are looking forward to building Partridges in smaller and more sustainable shop formats across London.
“We are very proud to have recently achieved carbon neutrality for both our Chelsea and Gloucester Road stores. We have received a new Royal Warrant from King Charles and have supported several hundred small artisan businesses by creating and curating the fine food market on Duke of York Square on nearly 1,000 Saturdays. We send all the traders our very best wishes for the future.”
He continued: “Partridges has also been a force for good in the local community, supporting many local charities and good causes and raising over £30,000 for the Children’s Surgery Foundation. At the heart of our success, though, lies our experienced and knowledgeable team of staff, whom we thank enormously for all their years of service.
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“We hope that this is not goodbye and that many of our current customers will venture over to Gloucester Road to visit us there.” The company still has a shop on Gloucester Road, and a new shop will be opening in 2025, HELLO! reports.
It comes just weeks before Prince Harry will travel to London alone in order to appear before the High Court for his ongoing trial against News Group Newspapers (NGN). It’s understood that wife Meghan Markle will remain at their Montecito home with their two children, as she has done on previous occasions.
Given Harry’s fractured relationship with the royals, it’s not known if he will reunite with any members of his family during his trip in London. Prince William is said to have completely cut ties with his younger brother, while King Charles was ‘too busy’ to see Harry during his visit in London in May 2024.
The Duke has only made a handful of trips back to the UK in recent years, attending the funeral of Prince Philip and the late Queen, and briefly visiting Charles after his cancer diagnosis.
