Prince Harry's hopes for a second meeting with his father, King Charles III, during his current visit to London have been dashed, despite the Duke of Sussex reportedly requesting the reunion "over a month" in advance, Daily Express reported on Wednesday. The King's "full program" of duties has been cited as the reason for the inability to accommodate a father-son meeting, sparking debate among royal experts and insiders about the state of the family's relationships.
According to a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex, "It, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majesty's full program. The Duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon." However, royal historian Hugo Vickers argues that if the King truly wanted to see his son, he would find the time. "If the King wanted to see Harry, he would find time very easily," Vickers told Page Six. "You can never be too busy to see your son."
The differing opinions on the matter highlight the ongoing tensions within the royal family, particularly between Prince Harry and his brother, Prince William. The Duke of Sussex extended invitations to several senior royals to attend the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, a sporting competition he developed in 2014 for wounded and disabled service personnel, but not a single one accepted. This has led to speculation about the depth of the rift between the brothers and the rest of the family.
A royal insider explained Prince William's absence from the Invictus Games event, stating, "William is a hop, skip and a jump from the throne, with an ill wife and three young children - he has plenty on his plate." The Prince of Wales is also scheduled to undertake engagements in both Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly this week, marking his first overnight trip away from home since his wife, Princess Kate, announced her cancer diagnosis in March.
Royal author Tom Quinn suggests that Prince William's decision to skip the Invictus Games event is a deliberate move to avoid appearing unforgiving towards his brother. "William hates the fact that Harry has washed so much royal dirty linen in public; he doesn't want to be seen as the one who is unforgiving," Quinn explained. "William knows that the world will be watching when his little brother rolls into town, and as a king in waiting, he knows people expect him to be mature and magnanimous."
The last time Prince Harry met with King Charles was on February 6, the day after the monarch announced his own cancer diagnosis. A royal insider privy to that meeting revealed that the King was "exhausted and really keen to get off to Balmoral" and was "desperate to be on his way and was delayed until Harry turned up." The brief 30-minute meeting further underscores the strained relationship between father and son.
Despite the current tensions, some royal analysts believe that a physical reunion between Prince Harry and Prince William is "inevitable," whether it occurs during King Charles' reign or at the time of his passing when Prince William accedes to the throne. As one royal insider put it, "Be it while his father still reigns or the huge moment when the King dies and William accedes to the throne, the meeting between Harry and William will occur eventually."
