The rift between the King and Prince Harry appeared as wide as ever on Wednesday as they failed to meet in London and a senior insider stated that there were still “issues of trust”.
The Duke of Sussex on Wednesday attended a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games, the sports competition for wounded and injured service personnel.
But despite Charles being just a few miles away, a hoped for reunion between the pair was not scheduled.
One senior aide said: “The King loves his son, of course he does, but this time there wasn’t a window for them to see each other. His Majesty had constitutional and public-facing duties as well as medical prior engagements.”
Another senior insider added: “Nothing has changed. There are issues of trust that still need to be addressed.”
Harry’s very public airing of life in the royal family — in the Oprah Winfrey interview and again in his memoir Spare — were among the reasons for the continuing family rift
However, news of the King’s cancer diagnosis in February led to a thaw in relations. The duke, who lives with his family in California, rushed back to see his father, who was said to be “enormously touched” by the gesture.
But asked about a possible meeting during Harry’s latest trip, a spokesman for him said: “In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, 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.”
Harry spent Tuesday in London attending a summit that reflected on the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. Interviewed by TV presenter Louise Minchin, he told delegates at the Honourable Artillery Company’s headquarters on the edge of the City: “Sometimes you... look back and go ‘Look at what we’ve done’. But also given the state of the world, there is so much more to do and I think a lot of uncertainty — but what we’ve created is a global community.”
During Wednesday’s service at St Paul’s, Harry gave reading and actor Damian Lewis recited the Invictus poem. The King, who has recently returned to public-facing duties after his cancer diagnosis, yesterday met the prime minister of Fiji at Buckingham Palace, before retiring to Clarence House.
The King was also set to have his weekly audience with the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and attend a Privy Council meeting.
Within hours of the duke arriving in the UK on Tuesday, the palace announced that the King and his older son the Prince of Wales would appear at an engagement next Monday, assigning William a significant military role previously anticipated for Harry.
Charles will be at a ceremony to confirm William, 41, as colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps — Harry’s former regiment. The event will take place in front of an Apache, the type of helicopter Harry flew when serving in Afghanistan.
Former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole claimed the lack of a reunion this time round was “quite a snub” that “gives an indication of the depth of the divide”. Harry is due to travel to Nigeria where he will be reunited with wife Meghan.
