Prince Harry's unexpected visit to the UK this week did not include a reunion with his father, King Charles III. Royal experts claim the monarch's schedule did not have a meeting with his son planned.
The Duke of Sussex made a surprise appearance at London's High Court on Monday, March 27, attending a four-day preliminary hearing in the privacy suit he and Elton John, among others, filed against Associated Newspapers Limited, publishers of The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday.
Although King Charles III's visit to France was postponed due to riots over the government's proposed pension reform program and his trip to Germany wasn't scheduled until Wednesday, March 29, reports suggest he was "too busy" to see his son. Royal author Duncan Larcombe told Fox News Digital, "I'm told Charles was never expecting to see Harry, although he was in the country. Charles was too busy with Germany and the cancellation of his trip to France."
Some royal watchers assert that King Charles III snubbed a meeting with Prince Harry. However, royal expert Shannon Felton Spence disagrees, arguing that the Duke timed his visit when his father would be out of London. She explained, "Harry's surprise trip was strategically planned for when his brother and his father would be out of town."
Spence continued, noting that the political situation in France led to the king's unexpected stay in the UK for a few extra days. "If the king is too busy to see Harry, it's because he approached him as the king and not as a son to a father. Sometimes, your former boss is too busy to see you if you drop in on them."
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams agreed, saying that "it wasn't to be expected that King Charles III and Harry would see each other during his surprise visit this week." Fitzwilliams also mentioned that the Duke didn't even have to appear in court, but chose to do so in support of the case.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the "ToDiFor Daily" podcast, pointed out that the king's schedule is typically planned months in advance. She said that King Charles III's decision not to see his son "was a stark example of consequence." Schofield added, "The idea that the king had this time off and chose not to engage with his son tells me that Charles does not trust his boy. He does not want any drama before the coronation, and he clearly thinks Harry's grievances are petty."
Schofield attributed the lack of meeting to "a direct result of Harry's selfish actions," including allegations made in promotional interviews for his memoir "Spare" and in the Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan."
Fitzwilliams concurred, stating that Prince Harry's "attacks on the monarchy" have rendered reconciliation between the royal family and the Sussexes nearly impossible. He said that a meeting with King Charles III "would have been fruitless."
This visit to London is Prince Harry's first return to the UK since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Sept. 19, 2022. Although he and Meghan Markle have been invited to King Charles III's coronation on May 6, they have not yet confirmed their attendance.
