Prince Harry lands in London for tenth anniversary of Invictus Games
Prince Harry cops a major setback after arriving in London amid multiple attempts to arrange a meeting with his cancer-stricken father.
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King Charles rejected a meeting with Prince Harry during his youngest son’s three-day visit to the UK, saying he is too busy to catch up.
Father and son were out and about in London on separate engagements on Tuesday local time after the California-based Harry arrived to take part in Invictus Games celebrations.
In a fresh blow for the exiled royal, Buckingham Palace announced a joint engagement between the King and Prince William next week in which the monarch will hand over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, Prince Harry’s former regiment.
A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex confirmed that father and son would not have a chance to meet this week because of the King’s tight work schedule.
“It unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program,” the spokesman said.
Prince Harry is said to have been left disappointed by the news but was understanding of his father’s busy diary arrangements.
The controversial royal attended a discussion at Armoury House marking ten years of his Invictus Games, while the King greeted Fiji’s Prime Minister just a few kilometres away at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry landed on Tuesday afternoon, local time, as the King was seen being chauffeur- driven from his home in Windsor to Clarence House in London.
Prince Harry, 39, who is in London without his wife Meghan Markle or their children Archie and Lilibet, has been largely estranged from his father for 18 months since writing his explosive tell-all memoir, Spare, about growing up in the royal family.
The royal pair briefly reconciled, for 45 minutes in February, after Harry made a mercy dash to be with his father who had telephoned both sons to reveal he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer.
A Palace source earlier on Tuesday said: “We are not commenting on any possible (meetings) for the moment.”
Later, a Palace spokesman said in response to a flurry of media inquiries that “unfortunately” it would not be possible for father and son to meet, blaming the King’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,” the spokesperson said.
Prince Harry is not expected to see his estranged brother the Prince of Wales who has royal engagements outside London this week, or his sister-in-law Princess Catherine, who has been in cancer treatment since March.
Prince Harry was due to carry out Invictus Games-related events, a charity he founded in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick servicemen.
He is in England for the tenth anniversary of the games and on Wednesday (local time) is expected to give a reading at a service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark a decade since its inaugural competition in London.
Harry is staying at a London hotel – not at a royal residence after losing access to his UK residence Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
Organisers of the Invictus Games confirm no other royals are attending the St Paul’s Cathedral service despite Harry inviting his brother William and senior royals.
The Duchess of Sussex is expected to join her husband on a forthcoming tour to Nigeria this week.
It is not clear whether Harry’s royal cousins Zara Tindall and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will support him while he is in London and attend the St Paul’s service on Wednesday morning.
The King is expected to meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his weekly audience at Buckingham Palace at the time of the cathedral service.
It comes as the Invictus Games Foundation announced it was “delighted” to welcome back “our founding patron, Prince Harry, at today’s IGF Conversation: ‘Realising A Global Community’” for the panel discussions.
Guests will include sportsmen and women from 13 participating nations, wounded, injured and sick servicemen and support staff.
Earlier this year, the Duke and Duchess trumpeted the new winter version of the games in Whistler, Canada at a glittering launch event.
Last year the tournament was hosted in Germany Düsseldorf, where the Duchess told crowds “We’re going to be cheering for you and we can’t wait to one day be able to bring our kids also so they can experience just how amazing this is.”
Birmingham is bidding to become the next host city.
At the Armoury house event, Prince Harry hailed the Invictus Games ethos of “commitment, enthusiasm and belief” at a conference recognising its development over ten years and was warmly greeted by multi-millionaire Sir Keith Mills, who used to chair the games, and CEO of the Invictus Games, Dominic Reid.
Writing a foreword for the anniversary, Harry said: “It has been an honour to watch the Invictus Games Foundation grow over the years; what began as a vision to pay tribute to the courage and resilience of wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans, has flourished into an international organisation built on hope, strength, and unity.”
Harry will spend the next three days in the UK before leaving for Nigeria where he will meet his wife Meghan. The two will celebrate the games’ achievements and deliver speeches.
While the Sussexes are believed to be paying for their own travel, the Nigeria Ministry of Information and National Orientation is likely to offer them accommodation at the government’s cost.
The Duke recently lost an appeal in the High Court over his personal security arrangements, which leaves him with no automatic right to use royal security services.
Since he bowed out of the royal spotlight to live in California, he lost access to his British marital home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, and must now seek permission to stay at royal residence or pay for alternative accommodation when he visits.
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Originally published as Prince Harry lands in London for tenth anniversary of Invictus Games
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