Senior Royals Are Still Snubbing Prince Harry
Prince William doesn’t want to see his brother, and King Charles is pretending he’s too “busy” — but at least his excuses are getting nicer.
Prince Harry’s relationship with King Charles, Prince William, and other senior British royals has been icy, which tends to happen when you publish a tell-all memoir about your famous family. Yet there were signs of a thaw earlier this year. Upon learning that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, Harry quickly hopped on an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles to London and met with his ailing father. Harry later told Good Morning America that he intended to visit again soon. “I’ve got other trips planned that will take me through the U.K. … and so I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can,” he said.
One of those trips is coming up soon. On May 8, Harry will be in London to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, a sports competition for wounded veterans that he founded. The BBC reports that he’ll give a reading during a Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and actor Damian Lewis will recite a poem.
But no senior royals will stop by to support Harry, and it seems the family won’t even meet with him privately. A friend of Prince William told the Daily Beast that he has no interest in reconnecting with his brother, especially now that his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales, is undergoing cancer treatments. “They don’t speak to Harry and Meghan, and they are certainly not about to start when Catherine is at her most vulnerable,” the friend said.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph “understands” that King Charles will probably be too “busy” to see his younger son, though they’re rarely on the same continent these days:
However, any potential meeting between the pair is likely to be brief as the King’s diary is “quite busy”, The Telegraph understands.
Obviously, it’s a bit hard to believe that a literal king doesn’t have the power to cancel a few appointments if he really wants to. But there is a bit of positive news for Harry in this latest report.
About a year ago, King Charles gave the same flimsy excuse, via the same newspaper, when he didn’t want to see Prince Harry during a surprise visit to the U.K. And back in March 2023, it was even more obvious that the king wasn’t actually “busy,” as he’d just called off a foreign trip, leaving his schedule wide open for a few days. The Telegraph reported at the time:
The Duke is not expected to see his father during his brief visit as he was told the King was “busy” even though his state visit to France — which was due to begin on Monday — had been cancelled three days earlier.
The tone is much gentler in this week’s Telegraph report. Now, Charles — who resumed public engagements this week after responding positively to cancer treatments — would love to “make time” for Harry:
The Duke will no doubt hope to see his father again next week, should their diaries permit. It is thought that Charles will make time to see his son if he is able.
But on Wednesday, he will have his weekly audience with the Prime Minister before he hopes to attend the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the season, medical advice pending.
He is also understood to have various appointments and engagements scheduled for the rest of the week.
It’s too bad that the king’s schedule is absolutely packed with unspecified yet immovable “appointments and engagements”!