King Charles Snubbed Prince Harry for Meeting With David Beckham

After missing a meeting with his son, scrutiny has increased on the meetings the king has kept since then.

By Michael Hein

King Charles III canceled his meeting with his son Prince Harry at the last minute, but still made time for a meeting with former soccer star David Beckham. The British royal family drew a lot of commentary and speculation on Wednesday when the long-anticipated reunion between the king and Prince Harry fell through due to a packed schedule. Naturally, pundits have a lot to say about all the meetings he has made since then – including one with Beckham two days later.

According to a report by The Times, King Charles and Beckham met on Friday, May 10 to discuss an educational charity called The King's Foundation. This was just two days after Prince Harry visited the U.K. for a ceremony celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Invictus Games. The king was hosting a garden party at Buckingham Palace at the same time, but the two had a private meeting scheduled when their events were over. At the last minute, palace officials said the meeting was canceled due to the king's packed schedule, although unconfirmed reports said that the two disagreed about the terms of the meeting.

"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," a royal spokesperson said on May 7. "The Duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."

News outlets got another story from members of the king's inner circle, including royal expert Charlotte Griffiths who told The Post: "I think the reason was because Harry made certain demands about who could be in the room and who couldn't. Although on the surface it looks like a snub, Harry made it very difficult for his father. Maybe other forces were driving Charles' position on this. William may have had a thought about how this meeting should be conducted or whether it should be conducted at all."

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Commenters couldn't help but notice that this meeting was dropped at the last minute, while a meeting with Beckham that seemed comparatively casual was not. Insiders told The Times that Beckham met with the king simply "to learn more" about The King's Foundation. The king resumed taking public engagements at the end of April under the advisement of his doctors, though his schedule is still greatly reduced from its usual volume. He is not expected to make more than one or two appearances per week in the coming months.

The state of relations between Prince Harry and the rest of the royal family is a matter of great public interest, but is not something that the royals themselves are likely to discuss in depth. Right now, there are no meetings lined up with the estranged prince.

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