Prince Harry is back on UK soil for an event close to his heart, but the "glimmer of hope" he had for a family reunion has been dashed, a royal expert says.
Harry is back in his home country to celebrate 10 years of his passion project, the Invictus Games, with a special service at St. Paul's Cathedral, royal historial Tessa Dunlop says it's "painfully ironic" that Harry - who is back in the UK for such worthy cause and at a venue so associated with the monarchy itself, won't be seeing his father.
A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex announced yesterday that there would be no meeting on the cards between Harry and the monarch whilst he is in the country, saying: "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," adding that Harry "hopes to see [Charles] soon."
The last time Harry and Charles were together was in February, when Harry rushed back to see his father after the monarch had been diagnosed with cancer and begun treatment. Due to the last-minute nature of the trip back to his home country, Harry only got to see his father for 30 minutes, before the King was obliged to return to Sandringham to rest.
Looking ahead to the Invictus Games event, royal expert Dunlop said: "After a very fleeting window of opportunity with Charles in the wake of the King's February cancer announcement, Harry told ABC he was 'grateful' for the time he spent with his father. It was a glimmer of hope for a more amicable future and many presumed a further meeting would be forthcoming in the wake of today's Invictus Games anniversary celebration.
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"Instead, the Duke will give a reading in St Paul’s Cathedral, the epic venue of his parents' fated wedding, with no significant members of the royal family by his side. It is painfully ironic that Harry is back in London, working for a good cause, in a venue intrinsically associated with the British royal family. Today, every step of the way, he will shadowbox his former life, trapped in the web of monarchy that is apparently impossible to escape, only now he is outside the institution, looking in."
The expert added that while its well known there have been difficult relations between Harry and the rest of the Royal Family since the Duke stepped back in 2020, if the father and son couldn't reconcile now with the fresh perspective brought by Charles's health challenges, when would they be able to do so.
"Certainly the Sussexes' tell-all publications and broadcasts went well outside acceptable royal and familial lines. But if not redemption now, then when?" Dunlop asks.
She also notes that while Harry promotes Invictus at St. Paul's Cathedral, "the Prince's father will be down the road, blocked by ill health, and what a Sussex spokesperson described as a 'full programme.'
"Here's hoping the King manages to find time to at least watch his son on television. There he will see that beyond all the mistakes and pain, Harry, in his capacity as Invictus founder and inspiration, continues to change lives for the better. Proof surely that the two men still have much in common?"
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