King Charles has concluded his whirlwind tour of the United States, during which he and Queen Camilla attended a series of events in Washington DC, Virginia, and New York over four days. Although it was the King's first visit to America in many years, he did not travel to the West Coast to meet his estranged son Prince Harry or his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet.
The relationship between Harry and his father remains strained, as they have only seen each other a few times in recent years. The last in-person meeting between the father and son was in September of last year, when the Duke of Sussex was in London for the annual WellChild awards.
It was established months before Charles' US trip that he would not have the opportunity to see his son, daughter-in-law Meghan Markle, or their children during his state visit.
However, former BBC royal commentator Jennie Bond believes Harry would have had mixed feelings about seeing the King's highly publicized tour in the country he has called home for over six years.
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Jennie told the Mirror: "I don't think it would have been any surprise to Harry that there was no opportunity to see his father during the state visit. But it must have been a somewhat surreal experience to watch his dad being celebrated in the country which is now Harry's home, and yet not to see him.
"Of course, in reality, they were still thousands of miles apart, and the two of them have not even met when they've been within a mile of one another in London. So it was never going to happen."
The royal expert believes that there is still the possibility of the father and son mending their relationship, but it would likely be behind closed doors as they work to rebuild their bond after years of estrangement. "Their relationship is still strained, and if and when another meeting happens, I'm sure it won't be in such a public arena as this exceptionally high-profile visit," Jennie explained.
Though Harry has not been a working royal since 2020, he and his father have many shared interests and passions as they both engage in similar charity work. However, Jennie believes that watching his father carry out philanthropic work in his home country may have felt surreal to Harry.
She said: "Harry is on record as saying he believes his father and brother are trapped in their royal existence. And, only last week, he mentioned the importance of having the right to speak truth to power and express his beliefs. So he may have felt rather conflicted watching the King in action.
"On one hand, he probably felt that the President didn't deserve all the reflected glory of having the King and Queen at the White House. But I think he would have been quietly proud of the way Charles skilfully delivered some quite pointed and political responses to the things Trump has been saying.
"Harry stands united with his father on the need to support Ukraine, for example. And he would have appreciated his father's nuanced rebuttal of Trump's insults about British servicemen and women and our naval power."
During the visit, President Trump did not miss the opportunity to hurl an insult at Meghan Markle – with whom he has been engaged in a war of words online for several years, as well as at Harry – and Jennie believes this slight would have only further solidified Harry's desire to not be a part of the Royal Family.
Jennie said: "Of course, outside the immediate environs of the visit, it has offered Trump the opportunity to hurl a few more insults in the direction of the Sussexes – particularly at Meghan. And that will have further antagonized the couple.
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"So, while the visit has undoubtedly contributed to improving relations between the United States and the UK, it has done nothing to help the relationship between the President and Harry and Meghan."
Lifestyle & Culture Editor
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