The Duke of Sussex left a clever gift for a flight attendant on a flight to the US – a copy of his memoir Spare.
Tiktoker and flight attendant Holden Pattern shared a photo of a beaming Prince Harry on an American Airlines flight on Friday and revealed that he had received a copy of the Duke’s book, which was released in January.
Prince Harry was on a stormy visit to the UK to give evidence at the Mirror phone hacking trial, where he faced cross-examination after becoming the first royal to take the witness stand since 1890.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, took no time during his visit to see his family, who were less than half a mile from where he was staying, and is unlikely to see them at the upcoming birthday celebrations of the king, who is believed not to have been invited.
Mr Pattern, a pilot and travel influencer, said he “just found this (book) in my luggage that gave me a passenger”, and called Prince Harry “a passenger prince”.
In the photo of the Duke with the cabin crew member, Prince Harry is dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans, a far cry from his carefully tailored suits for his court appearances.
Prince Harry arrived in the UK on Sunday after spending his daughter Lilibeth’s birthday with her, earning a reprimand from a judge for not attending the first day of his evidence against the Mirror Newspaper Group.
He came to the UK to give evidence over two days as part of his legal case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over allegations that its journalists used hacking, “blaming” and other illegal means of deception to wrote 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010.
The Duke appeared close to tears on Wednesday as he completed his historic day and a half of answering questions, making him the first royal in more than a century to testify in court.
During a stormy final few hours on the witness stand, the Duke volunteered details of his checkered love life, including a trip to a strip club.
MGN disputed Harry’s claims and either denied or did not admit that the articles about Harry at trial involved phone hacking or illegal activity.
The prince is said to have landed in California on Thursday night, meaning he will have left the UK around midday on the same day – the same run he took after King Charles’ coronation last month.
He stayed at Frogmore Cottage for three nights, according to the Telegraph, but it is expected to be his last visit to the home he once shared with his wife because his father has kicked him out since the start of the summer.