King Charles and Prince Harry did not meet last week although the Duke was in London for three days as part of his tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games
King Charles was “understandably wary” about meeting Prince Harry because of the “publicity circus” surrounding their relationship, a friend of the monarch said.
Sources close to Harry, 39, expressed their bemusement the King did not see his son on a rare trip to the UK, part of his tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games.
They said, despite his cancer treatment, Charles, 75, made time to attend a Buckingham Palace garden party on Wednesday afternoon, hold his weekly audience with Rishi Sunak that evening and undertake a military engagement in Wiltshire on Thursday.
But a friend of Charles stressed doctors had advised him to focus on his cancer treatment and he felt “wary” about meeting his youngest son.
The source told The Times: “It’s all very sad. While it is true that the King is understandably wary about meeting with Harry, given the publicity circus that seems to surround all such visits, he did of course agree to see his son at the most vulnerable moment of his illness [in February], and at very short notice.
“While he was hardly going to roll out the red carpet the moment this Invictus trip was announced, with doctors advising him to focus on his treatment and recovery, the idea that he refused to find space in his diary … well, let’s say recollections may vary once again.”
Friends of the King continue to stress that, to the best of their understanding, Harry neither requested to see his father nor invited him to attend his service at St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate the Invictus anniversary. The last time Harry saw his dad – and only time since his coronation last year – was in early February for a half-hour meeting after Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis.
A friend of Harry’s told The Times: “Could His Majesty not have made a request to see his son? It was widely known he was coming.”
Another pal said: “It surprises me a lot. I was fully expecting them to meet. I know that’s what he wanted to happen and I don’t know when he’s next back.”
It is understood Charles had offered Harry a royal residence at which to stay last week, but the Duke decided to use a hotel instead. He stayed for three days there before meeting Meghan Markle, 42, at London Heathrow Airport for their jourmey to Nigeria.
