Reporters made much of Prince Harry’s visit to the U.K. in May and his canceled appointment with King Charles III, but his lodging arrangement tells a subtle story as well. The prince had planned to see his father after an event related to the Invictus Games, but the meeting was canceled due to the king’s busy schedule, and the prince left the country the next morning. According to a report by The Sunday Times, the king offered his son a place to stay in a royal residence, but Prince Harry chose to find a hotel instead.
Pundits speculated a lot about Prince Harry’s canceled meeting with the king, debating who “snubbed” whom and reading into the situation from every angle. For some, the fact that the king offered Prince Harry a place to stay was an important detail – perhaps an olive branch or an invitation to a more discrete meeting. Others thought it was a maneuver meant to put the prince off guard, and that he was smart to avoid it. Whatever the case, it’s clear that the terms of a meeting between Pricne Harry and the royal family are more nuanced than ever.
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Prince Harry visited the U.K. for the first time in months for a celebration of the 10th anniversary of The Invictus Games. The event was held in the afternoon at St. Paul’s Cathedral – just two miles away from Buckingham Palace where the king was hosting the annual garden party at the same time. The two were scheduled for a private meeting when both events ended at 6 p.m., but an official royal spokesperson announced that it had to be canceled due to the king’s busy schedule.
“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,” they said. “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 different explanations, though mostly from anonymous sources. Royal expert Charlotte Griffiths 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.”
