Prince Harry yesterday came closer to his father the King than he has in months, but the reunion royal fans have been hoping for never materialised.
The Duke was briefly in London to mark the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral, as Charles hosted a Buckingham Palace garden party just two miles away. But the King was said to be too busy to see his son, confirming a statement earlier this week that revealed the pair would not meet because the monarch had a
busy programme of official duties.
The Duke, 39, did not meet up with 41-year-old brother Prince William, either. Harry last saw the King in February when he dashed from the US after Charles’s cancer diagnosis. He arrived in the UK on Tuesday and is flying to Nigeria today to meet up with wife Meghan, 42, for a tour linked to the Invictus Games for injured and sick military personnel.
As Harry prepared to fly in this week, his spokesman said: “In response to the many inquiries on whether or not the Duke will meet with his father while in the UK, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme. The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: “It’s a very difficult situation at the moment and it’s completely unprecedented. I think people thought Harry and the King would have found the time to meet each other. I think what’s developing here is something that had not been expected but there is logic to it. I think that this and the appointment of William as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps is about timing.” Mr Fitzwilliams added: “The only way for the rift to be healed is in private.”
No other member of the Royal Family joined Harry at his Invictus event. Harry’s appearance yesterday was in stark contrast to 2014 when he launched the Games, accompanied by Charles, Camilla and William. His relationship with the family has grown increasingly fractured since he and Meghan quit as working royals in 2020 and moved to California with their children Archie, five, and two-year-old Lilibet.
Harry was joined at the 10th anniversary by his mum Diana’s brother Charles Spencer and her sister Lady Jane Fellows. The Duke’s cousins George McCorquodale, 39, and Louis and Lara Spencer, 30 and 18, also sat close and supported him. Harry was cheered by hundreds of people outside the cathedral who waited to see him.
Absent from the medals the former soldier and helicopter pilot wore was one given to him and others involved in the King’s formal ascension to the throne last May. The service was led by Dean of St Paul’s the Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, who praised the “vision and compassion” that formed the Games. An emotional poem was read by former Invictus Games Team UK vice captain Michelle Turner, her daughter Maya and husband John.
Michelle has a heart problem she developed during her 21 years of service with the RAF that makes it randomly beat too fast. She told how when she was discharged she was “consumed with insecurities” and ended the poem: “Thank you Invictus, for giving me my life back.” Harry led a standing ovation to Michelle and her family. Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty was also there.
Not far away, the King was seen laughing and joking with guests at the garden party, who included Princess Anne, Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Around 8,000 people attended the palace event. The King also had his weekly audience with the Prime Minister yesterday. Charles returned to public duties last week as he continued having treatment for a type of cancer.