Royals snub Prince Harry, King Charles all smiles at Palace party
While his father stayed away, Prince Harry was visibly surprised to see who turned up to support him at the Invictus anniversary ceremony.
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While his father the King entertained guests just 5km away, Prince Harry was visibly surprised to see who turned up to support him at the 10th anniversary ceremony for the Invictus Games.
His late mother Princess Diana’s younger brother Earl Spencer, his cousin Louis Spencer and aunt Lady Jane Fellowes attended the thanksgiving service at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the anniversary of the tournament set up by Prince Harry.
After Harry arrived alone at the cathedral, where his mother married on July 29 1981, he appeared elated to see his uncle inside and chatted to him before the service.
Just 5km away, his father King Charles entertained guests at Buckingham Palace at his first garden party of the season, where he was joined by Queen Camilla and several other members of the royal family.
At the late Princess of Wales’s funeral on September 6 1997, Charles Spencer paid tribute to his sister and promised to continue to support his nephews princes Harry and William in her absence, telling the congregation at Westminster Abbey: “And beyond that, on behalf of your mother and sisters, I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned.”
Prince Harry arrived from California to the UK amid talk of a second reconciliation with his father, who has been recovering from cancer, but was told the King’s work schedule would not permit them to meet.
A spokesman for the Duke said he had been left disappointed by the news but was understanding of his father’s busy diary arrangements.
His spokesman said in response to a flurry of media inquiries that “unfortunately” it would not be possible for the King and Prince Harry to meet, citing 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 spokesman said.
Prince Harry flew thousands of kilometres from his California home to London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games, but in the pews of London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, not a single member of the Royal Family was present to salute his achievement.
This vivid illustration of the rift between the Duke of Sussex and the family he claims to still love, spoke volumes.
Starkly, just a few short kilometres away, King Charles was all smiles as he hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace after “snubbing” a meeting with his estranged son.
The monarch was joined by senior members of the Royal Family including Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Royal insiders said Prince Harry had invited his brother and father to the thanksgiving service to mark a decade since the Invictus Games’ inaugural competition in London.
At the service to mark the 10th anniversary of the charity he founded in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick servicemen, Prince Harry hailed the “tremendous achievements” and courage of the tournament’s participants over the years to a 1000-strong congregation of predominantly sportsmen and women from the 23 participating nations and support staff.
“We recall, with admiration, the skill and determination of those who seek to repair, rehabilitate and reclaim the lives of those living with serious illness or injury, changing and saving lives,” Prince Harry told guests at the gothic cathedral.
“We acknowledge, with gratitude, the courage and strength of those wounded, injured, or sick servicemen and women who have sought a pathway to recovery, encouraging those who live in darkness by the unconquered light of their spirit,” he said.
Prince Harry arrived alone to rapturous applause from crowds and was greeted on the cathedral steps by the dean, The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett.
The exiled prince wore his military medals to the service which was also attended by former army officer Mark Dyer, who acted as a mentor to Prince Harry and Prince William after the death of their mother, Princess Diana.
When asked by crowds if he enjoyed being back in England, Prince Harry smiled and waved without replying before climbing into a waiting car.
Earlier this week, a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex said the prince would not meet with his father on his brief visit home – because the King is too busy.
King Charles resumed public duties last week for the first time since beginning cancer treatment.
“It unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program,” Prince Harry’s spokesman said.
“The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”
In a second snub, King Charles revealed Prince William will take charge of Prince Harry’s former helicopter regiment next week.
A day earlier, Prince Harry visited London’s Armoury House – a manor house once used to house the oldest reserve regiment in the army, the Honourable Artillery Company – for a series of Invictus Games panel discussions called “Realising a Global Community”.
Earlier that day, King Charles was seen being driven into Clarence House, several hours before the Duke of Sussex landed in England from Los Angeles.
The prince, who is in London without his wife Meghan Markle or their children, Archie and Lilibet, had been estranged from his father for 18 months until February when the prince visited the king briefly at Clarence House after the monarch’s cancer diagnosis had been made public.
Since Prince Harry bowed out of the royal spotlight to live in California, he was evicted from Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, and must now seek permission to stay at royal residence or pay for alternative accommodation when he visits the UK.
Since Princess Catherine’s cancer diagnosis in March, hopes were raised that tensions between the warring brothers would thaw.
Royal observers, however, say a visit to the Wales’s would only have added to the princess’s woes with expert Richard Fitzwilliams saying: “People ask if Prince Harry is going to come back and help them out, but that would be very counter-productive and could add to her stress.”
Family relations have been strained since Prince Harry wrote a tell-all book Spare where he slammed the Royal Family, painting his father as “aloof”, Queen Camilla as the “wicked stepmother” while accusing Prince William of physically attacking him.
‘DIFFICULT’: WHY CHARLES COULDN’T SEE HARRY
King Charles’ decision not to meet Prince Harry during his son’s UK trip this week came after a round of “difficult” negotiations, according to a royal expert.
Prince Harry returned to London on Tuesday local time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Later that day, the exiled royal’s representatives confirmed that the monarch’s youngest son would not be meeting up with his estranged father in London due to the King’s “full” schedule.
But according to royal expert, Charlotte Griffiths, the monarch’s decision may have been swayed by “certain demands” from the Duke of Sussex.
“There is some talk that behind the scenes, a lot of negotiating went on,” Griffiths told GB News.
“I think the reason was because Harry made certain demands about who could be in the room and who couldn’t. Although on the surface it looks like a snub, Harry made it very difficult for his father.”
When asked to elaborate on what exactly the demands were, Griffiths said “other forces” could’ve influenced King Charles’ decision.
“Maybe other forces were driving Charles’s position on this. William may have had a thought about how this meeting should be conducted or whether it should be conducted at all,” she said.
“We know that Charles likes to meet Harry with Camilla in the room which isn’t always a popular decision. Harry was without his wife as well, so this was fraught with difficulty.”
Prince Harry’s spokesman said that a meeting between the estranged father and son duo “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,” a spokesman for the prince said.
King Charles’ tightly managed schedule includes his weekly audience with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the northern hemisphere spring and summer season and previous engagements.
Prince Harry’s trip to London marks the first time since his visit to see his estranged father following the king’s cancer diagnosis in February, as well as his first trip since learning of his sister-in-law Princess Catherine’s cancer diagnosis in March.
On Wednesday local time, Prince Harry gave a reading at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral to mark a decade since the inaugural Invictus Games took place in the capital.
British actor Damian Lewis, who attended the prestigious Eton school with the royal brothers, will recite the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley, during the service.
It appears as though the estranged royal has been snubbed by his entire family in the UK, as no plans have been made to see him during his brief visit to London.
Prince Harry has also been forced to book a hotel room ahead of his trip after not being offered a bed at any of the royal residences in London.
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