King Charles declined to meet Prince Harry during his recent UK visit, sparking the rumors of strain between the two. Although a palace insider dismissed the claims citing, “Recollections may vary once again.”
Last week, before jetting off to Nigeria with Meghan Markle, Harry made a brief appearance at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the UK. The Duke attended a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games. Despite being in the same city and just a few kilometres away, Harry did not meet with Charles, disappointing those hoping for a reconciliation.
A royal source denied the claims that, Charles refuted to meet his son. An unnamed friend of Charles told The Times that the King wary of meeting Harry due to media attention. “While it is true that the King is understandably wary about meeting with Harry, given the publicity circus that seems to surround all such visits, he did of course agree to see his son at the most vulnerable moment of his illness [back in February] and at very short notice.” the statement read.
Earlier, it was announced that the King had been diagnosed with cancer. Since then, there has been a lot of speculation about his treatment and appearance. It has been reported that doctors have advised him to focus on treatment and rehabilitation. The source added, that people weren’t expecting the King to hit the red carpet as soon as Invictus was announced. However, “the idea that he refused to find space in his diary … well, let’s say recollections may vary once again.”
Prince Harry, on the other hand, had a positive experience in the UK, interacting with a crowd that chanted “We love you, Harry.” Despite the absence of other royal members, the Duke appeared overjoyed by the turnout of the crowd. He even mentioned feeling ‘happy’ to be home in interviews with a few news outlets, although reports suggested he was ‘heartbroken’ about not being able to meet his ailing father.
An official spokesperson for Harry stressed that Harry was well aware and understood the reasons why Charles did not meet him.
“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.” The representative told on Tuesday reported by the Mirror.