King Charles 'too busy' to meet with Prince Harry during his trip to UK next week

Prince Harry with his father King Charles
King Charles is said to be too "busy" to meet with Prince Harry during his upcoming UK visit -Credit:Getty Images


King Charles is expected to be 'too tied up' to meet with Prince Harry during his upcoming visit to the UK, as royal sources say the monarch's schedule is "quite busy".

The duke is set to return to London next month to join a ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

The 39-year-old prince will attend a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday, May 8, where he's expected to give a reading, celebrating ten years since the first Invictus Games in London in 2014.

This trip marks Harry's first time back in London since his urgent return to the UK in February following the announcement of the monarch's cancer diagnosis.

During that brief visit, Harry managed only a 45-minute meeting with his father amidst a whirlwind 24-hour stay, the Mirror reports.

Britain's King Charles III visits Nyali beach in Mombasa on November 2, 2023. Britain's King Charles III was admitted to hospital for prostrate surgery, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on January 26, 2024.
The King has announced he will be returning to his royal duties this week following his cancer diagnosis earlier this year -Credit:BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The relationship between Charles and Harry has been strained, particularly after Harry's candid revelations in his explosive memoir, Spare.

After his last visit, Harry appeared on American morning television, expressing gratitude for the time spent with his father and reflecting on the potential for serious health issues to bring families together.

The Telegraph reports that a reunion between Prince Harry and King Charles III next week appears improbable, as the King is set to resume his public duties and is described as "quite busy".

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On the day Harry attends the Invictus service in London, Charles is scheduled for his regular meeting with the Prime Minister.

He may also attend the season's first Buckingham Palace garden party and has other commitments throughout that week.

Furthermore, there are no expectations for Harry to meet his elder brother Prince William or his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, who is currently receiving cancer treatment.

Despite their longstanding estrangement, Harry and Meghan publicly conveyed their best wishes to Kate following her cancer diagnosis announcement.

Harry's last visit to the UK was to visit King Charles following his cancer news
The duke flew back to the UK in February to see his father after his cancer diagnosis went public but it was a short reunion -Credit:No credit

Details regarding Harry's UK itinerary remain vague but with Prince Archie's fifth birthday falling just two days before the Invictus event, Harry will likely be in the US to celebrate.

It's also been confirmed that his wife Meghan will not be joining him on his trip back to the UK but the duchess is expected to accompany him on a work-related journey to Nigeria soon after.

At the same time, Harry's return to Britain marks his first visit to his homeland since his recent defeat in a legal battle concerning his safety provisions in the UK.

Harry had launched legal action against the February 2020 verdict from the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which ruled out offering him the "same degree" of public-funded protection when he is in the country.

The court heard that Harry feels his children, Archie and Lilibet, cannot truly "feel at home" in the UK if their safety can't be guaranteed there.

In a written statement made in a previous hearing, Harry shared: "It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020. The UK is my home."

Harry will not be joined by Meghan or their two kids, Archie and Lilibet, on his trip to the UK next month -Credit:Alexi Lubomirski./Instagram
Harry will not be joined by Meghan or their two kids, Archie and Lilibet, on his trip to the UK next month -Credit:Alexi Lubomirski./Instagram

He went on to say: "The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home, as much as where they live at the moment in the United States.

"That cannot happen if it's not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm's way too."

The Duke of Sussex has been refused permission to appeal a High Court ruling that he cannot claim judicial review over a decision that he must not be given the same level of personal protection in the UK as he receives abroad.

In a ruling issued in February, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the duke's case that he was "singled out" and treated "less favourably" by the decision and concluded Ravec's approach was not irrational nor procedurally unfair.

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