Prince Harry is in the U.K., and contrary to predictions, he won't be seeing his father King Charles during his stay.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex confirmed that the King is too busy to fit his youngest son into his agenda, telling the Telegraph, "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 programme."
The spokesperson continued: "The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."
While Harry's statement was dignified in tone, "we can deduce that their relationship is terminally damaged," claims royal expert Jennie Bond, speaking to OK!.
"In a sensible world, Harry would stay with his dad at Clarence House—they could have cozy chats in perfect privacy and with all the security Harry wants," Bond continued.
There has been a lot of speculation as to whether father and son would meet while Harry was in his native country for an event celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Invictus Games.
In recent weeks, it had felt likely that they would, with reports that the duke wanted a meeting with his dad. Though their relationship has been strained since Harry and his wife Meghan Markle moved to the U.S. in 2020, things had been looking up following a successful phone call between the two men on the King's birthday last November.
In the meantime, Charles sadly announced his cancer diagnosis, which prompted Harry to pay him a visit as soon as he could back in February. At the time, their meeting shocked royal watchers when it turned out it had only lasted some 45 minutes or so.
Still, it felt like an indicator that their relationship was on the mend—but with this latest blow, that perspective has been thrown into serious question.
