Prince Harry Turned Down King Charles' Invitation to Stay in a Royal Residence During His U.K. Trip: Report
According to a royal correspondent, Prince Harry rejected King Charles' invitation to stay at a royal residence.
Prince Harry traveled to London in mid-May to celebrate the Invictus Games, but the Duke of Sussex stayed at a hotel instead of with a member of the royal family.
According to royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah, King Charles invited his son to use a royal residence during his three days in the U.K., but the duke declined.
Harry's spokesperson confirmed in a statement that he wouldn't be seeing His Majesty while in his home country.
“In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the duke will meet with his father while in the U.K. this week, it, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program,” a spokesperson said.
“The duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon," they added.
OK! previously reported royal expert Katie Nicholl claimed the veteran wanted to see his dad during his trip.
"He hasn't got many other plans," Nicholl told an outlet. "He was, of course, hoping to see his family. Possibly that's why the trip was three days... but as we now know, there will be no family meetings."
"I think certainly the fact that time hasn't been made over these three days for father and son to have some sort of meeting — when you consider their last meeting was just about 30 or 40 minutes when Harry flew all the way from California to see his father — certainly fuels that narrative of a rift," she noted.
In February, Harry rushed to London to see Charles after the king announced he was diagnosed with cancer, and the duke told Good Morning America he had "other trips planned" to "stop in and see my family as much as I can." Following the duo's meeting, many royalists assumed the pair would reunite in the spring.
"He very much wants to be close to his son again and to see more of his grandchildren, who he's barely seen since they were born," Nicholl said of the King's wishes.
"There is a sense of surprise that he hasn't made time to see his son," the biographer shared of Charles' schedule being too full after returning to royal duties.
Nicholl later claimed the "fundamental issue" is "this breakdown of trust between Harry and the family."
In Spare, the Invictus Games founder shared intimate details about royal life, and his proximity to The Crown was negatively impacted by it.
"Clearly, there are still some pretty major trust issues and concerns on Charles' part that any private meetings or conversations that he has with his son may not stay private for long," the author explained. "I think Harry's going to have to work really quite hard to repair some of that trust before he's going to get a sort of privileged audience with his father."
"There is just a feeling of disappointment, certainly on Harry's part, and genuine sadness that he hasn't got to see his father," she continued.
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Nikkah was quoted by the The Sunday Times.
