King Charles III has come under fire for not supporting his son, Prince Harry, at a special service marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games during the Duke of Sussex's recent visit to the United Kingdom. According to ITV royal editor Chris Ship, the monarch "missed a trick" by not attending the event at St. Paul's Cathedral, given his role as the head of the armed forces and the importance of the games for military veterans.
Speaking on True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat, Ship argued that King Charles should have "swallowed his pride" and attended the service, despite the ongoing family feud between the royal family and Prince Harry. "The King, in my view, missed a trick by not going to that event at St Paul's Cathedral. Harry was here in the UK. It was for military veterans and those who are still serving. The King is the head of the armed forces," Ship stated. "Swallow your pride, go to the service. I think when it comes to the military, no one's going to criticize Harry for the work that he's done for those veterans."
Prince Harry, who founded the Invictus Games for injured and sick servicemen and women, made a fleeting visit to the UK earlier this month to attend the anniversary service. However, amid the bitter family feud, he was not supported by any of his royal relatives at the event, with only members of the late Princess Diana's family in attendance. In fact, during his entire UK trip, Prince Harry did not see any of his royal relatives, including his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William.
The controversy surrounding the lack of a reunion between father and son during the Duke of Sussex's visit has intensified following new reports claiming that Prince Harry turned down an invitation from his father to stay at a royal residence due to security concerns. It has been reported that King Charles agreed to a request to allow Harry to stay at a royal home, aware that his youngest son no longer has an official UK property, which could have provided an opportunity for them to meet outside their busy schedules.
However, according to The Telegraph, Prince Harry declined the offer because it did not come with any security provision, and he would have been staying in a "visible location with public entrance and exit points and no police protection." Instead, as he has done on all his recent visits, Harry reportedly chose to stay in a hotel so "he could come and go unseen."
The publication further adds that Prince Harry remains "devastated" about the withdrawal of his right to automatic police protection in the UK, which has "become one of the biggest barriers to reconciliation with his father." Earlier this year, Harry suffered a major setback in his legal battle over the loss of his UK police protection after his bid to bring an appeal against a High Court ruling was refused.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward, author of "My Mother and I," believes that while King Charles may have lost "a few points" in the court of public opinion for skipping the Invictus Games service, it's not likely something that has crossed the monarch's mind. "Charles has probably lost a few points here. But he will not play the scoring points game. He just won't," Seward told Newsweek. "Even if his advisers might have said, 'The service might be a nice idea,' he will have said, 'Well, I'm not playing that game.'"
However, Seward suggests that King Charles has an opportunity to redeem himself during an upcoming ceremony on May 13, 2024, where he will formally make his oldest son, Prince William, Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, the regiment in which Harry served. "That will be very telling-if he doesn't mention Harry, that will be odd," Seward said, calling it "a very good opportunity" for the king to "pay tribute" to Harry's service.
