With Prince Harry back in the United Kingdom to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Awards, it seems like the perfect time for him to catch up with his family, but unfortunately, it sounds like that won't be happening. According to a statement from the Sussexes, it's official: King Charles isn't making time in his busy schedule to visit with his youngest son, and apparently, Harry doesn't seem to be as broken up about it as some might expect.
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Prince Harry is already in town for the event.
Earlier this week, Harry sat on a panel at London’s Honourable Artillery Company, where he talked about having the idea for the Invictus Games after attending the US military's Warrior Games.
"Having just come back from Afghanistan myself, seeing the wounded, injured and sick and seeing the effect this was having on all the families, and just the weight — the load on defense and on the individuals and on the rehabilitation programs," he said, via Vanity Fair. "There just wasn't enough being done."
But even though he's back home, Harry won't be seeing his dad.
According to what a spokesperson for Harry and wife Meghan Markle told People, King Charles is too busy to catch up with his son.
"In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not The Duke will meet with his father while in the U.K. this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program," the statement read. "The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."
People have very mixed feelings about the update.
Although some folks on X (formerly Twitter) see this as a sign that Harry made the right choice to walk away from the royal family, others see it differently.
One person tweeted, "The King's schedule is understandably full especially after his reduced duties owing to his treatment. If H wants to see his dad, he can always plan around his father's schedules in advance, not jetting in & out of the country at will & expect the King to clear his diary for him."
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This may not be the whole story, though.
As royal commentator Charlotte Griffiths told The New York Post, Harry may not have been willing to meet his father's demands for a meeting.
“Maybe other forces were driving Charles’s position on this. William may have had a thought about how this meeting should be conducted or whether it should be conducted at all," she said. "We know that Charles likes to meet Harry with Camilla in the room which isn’t always a popular decision. Harry was without his wife as well, so this was fraught with difficulty."
He probably won't see other members of the family, either.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward said that even though Harry might request a meeting with his brother (especially in light of Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis), it's not likely that Will would grant it.
"William has enough going on and doesn't need the stress," Seward told The Mirror. "It remains to be seen if Kate is willing and able to face up to it. Does she have the energy to begin to try and heal the rift between the brothers or will she prefer to remain in the background?"
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
