Prince Harry’s decision to jet off alone to New York to meet royals and celebrities before a solo trip to Britain shows he is determined to ‘carve out’ new opportunities and ‘assert himself’ after turning 40, experts told MailOnline today.

The Duke of Sussex is away from Montecito for the next eight days and went to a California benefit organised by Kevin Costner on Saturday, without his American wife.

Last night he attended a dinner organised by the World Health Organization (WHO), greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium warmly on arrival.

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On his trip to New York this week he will also support pet charities and businesses including African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award, and Travalyst. And this weekend he will fly to London for his annual visit to support WellChild at their awards ceremony, again without his wife.

This month he is said to have planned a lads-only weekend away with friends to mark his 40th birthday, but was with a smiling Meghan leaving a ‘double birthday’ event, held for their friend Tyler Perry, the night before the Prince’s own big day.

Biographer Phil Dampier, author of Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words, said: ‘Harry sometimes feels like a spare part and he often looks unhappy when he’s out with Meghan at events in California. I think he has reached a point where he wants more for himself. He’s turned 40 and must be asking himself what the future holds.

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Prince Harry is seen greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium during a high-level dinner on ‘Violence against children and its impact on mental health’ in New York City with WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in the background

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Prince Harry presents an award to Helicopter Pilot /first responder Loren Courtney on Saturday

Harry: For some reason I’ve been given a microphone to ask questions

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Prince Harry and a smiling Meghan Markle are seen leaving a ‘double birthday’ event, held for their friend Tyler Perry, the night before the Prince’s own 40th birthday earlier this month

Harry’s solo itinerary

Monday, September 23 

AM: Harry sits on a panel discussing: The global mental health crisis among young people at the Concordia summit.

PM: He will appear on stage for an event promoting the work of the Halo Trust, the charity for which his late mother loved, famously walking through an Angolan minefield in 1997.

Tuesday, September 24

The Duke of Sussex is expected to attend the ‘Protectors of African Parks” benefit gala

Wednesday, September 25 to Friday September 27

Harry will attend a number of other events in relation to the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week and Climate Week.

Monday, September 30

Harry will be in London for the WellChild Awards

‘I think he’s desperate to find some new meaning to his life and that seems to involve branching out on his own more.

‘He has this few days in New York and then he’s heading to London for the WellChild event with which he’s been involved for years.

‘He clearly wants to find some causes he can get involved in and give his life some purpose.

‘Meghan doesn’t want to come back to this country, so he will have to fly solo’.

Harry has reportedly been contacting some of his old friends ahead of his UK visit.

‘I’m sure he’s lacking some mates he can go out with for a beer and truly relax. The more he does things on his own and carves out some new projects, the more likely it is he can heal himself and eventually some of the divisions with his family, but it’s going to be a long road’, Mr Dampier said.

Royal expert and investigative journalist Tom Bower has said that Harry’s next week away shows he is trying ‘to assert himself’ alone.

He said: ‘It’s not just Harry doing repeated solo events which suggests a shift in his lifestyle and strategy to assert himself – not least in Britain’.

Without Meghan by his side last night, Harry was seen greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium, actor Forest Whitaker, several UN Agency Heads, and other dignitaries, for an event to honour survivors of childhood violence.

All are in New York for the UN General Assembly, which is set to kick off Monday morning in Manhattan.

Awkward moment Prince Harry is almost ignored by singer Richard Marx

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Harry chats with singer Richard Marx

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Hours before they attended Tyler’s party, Meghan was spotted at the George Zajfen Tennis Tournament in Los Angeles, where she wore over $40,000 worth of clothes and jewelry

Officials from countries like Sweden, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Georgia, Canada, Iceland, and Brazil were also present, as were survivors of child abuse to discuss the important issue.

The gathering comes a day after Harry attended Kevin Costner ‘s charity concert at his beachfront estate solo, all the way across the country in California while Meghan was said to be ‘sick.’

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams says Harry is looking for new roles.

‘What is his real role now? His achievements are undoubtedly the Invictus Games and his patronages of Wellchild, for which he is soon making a solo trip to Britain, and Sentebale, in Lesotho. All of these were operative before he married Meghan, he said.

His will be attending a series of events at in New York, also solo. This is clearly an attempt to boost his profile.

‘There are his solo trips to Britain and a series of rumours he would like to spend more time there and even that he might be interested in some royal duties. These are undoubtedly exaggerated, but they highlight his increasingly awkward situation.

‘He has a deep rift with his family. His New York appearances may give him a brief boost’.

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Harry is seen her with the head of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Actor Whitaker and Queen Mathilde

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The event organized by WHO, and was attended by politicians like Prime Minister Alexander De Croo of Belgium, seen beside Harry here. Meghan was noticeably absent after missing out on actor Kevin Costner’s house party due to being ‘sick’ the day before

Prince Harry recalls walking in his mother Diana’s footsteps

Harry is in New York this week and in London next Monday.

‘Violence takes many forms – both physical and psychological – and each leaves a lasting impact on those who experience it,’ MC of the event Will Poulter told attendees at last night’s event.

‘With one billion children around the world experiencing such violence, the statistics are staggering, but they represent real lives.

‘It’s our collective responsibility to ensure that these children are protected.’

Also in attendance were high-profile figures like Whitaker and Shudu Musida, who, along with the survivors, helped pen an open letter last week demanding urgent action from world leaders to end violence against children.

This comes ahead of the first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, which is set to take place in Colombia in November.

Signatories of the letter included Harry, Mathilde, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who was seen conversing with the Duke of Sussex and actor at length during the event.

The Belgian royal spoke to the crowd as well, urging for more to be done to held kids facing corporal punishment, bullying, online violence and sexual abuse.

Other forms of violence singled out by the group include gang violence, child marriage and child labor.

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Forrest Whittaker was present as well, and is seen here conversing with Prime Minister De Croo and the Duke of Sussex

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The Belgian royal posed alongside The Last King of Scotland star at the star studded event, which comes just hours before delegates are set to pour into Midtown Manhattan Monday for the first day of the UN General Assembly

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The Belgian royal spoke to the crowd as well, urging for more to be done to held kids facing corporal punishment, bullying, online violence and sexual abuse

Prince Harry attends HALO Trust event in New York without Meghan

Meghan, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen, after championing efforts designed to halt online bullying earlier this summer.

In August, the Duchess was seen lovingly clutching her husband’s knee on the set of CBS News Sunday Morning, as she detailed how she struggled with suicidal thoughts because of abuse she received as a working royal

She told host Jane Pauley how she hope her candor will help youngsters around the world navigate similar feelings, while reaching out to her spouse for support.

‘When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey – certainly part of mine – is being able to be really open about it,’ Markle said as Harry, 39, looked on.

‘I really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way.

‘And I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans,’ she added.

‘And I would never want someone else to not be believed.’

A source told the Mirror that she missed Costner’s Santa Barbara house part because ‘she [was] sick and could not make it’.

A-listers like Jeff Bridges, Rob Lowe and Pink were in attendance.