KING Charles ruled out a face-to-face meeting with Harry – saying he was too busy.
Hours later, in a second snub, the king revealed that eldest son William will take command of Harry’s former helicopter regiment next week.
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Harry, 39, was looking forward to seeing his father after traveling from California, but his spokesman said: “Unfortunately this will not be possible due to Her Majesty’s full programme.”
Harry flew to events marking the tenth anniversary of his Invictus Games, while the king greeted Fiji’s prime minister at Buckingham Palace.
Two hours later, the king revealed that next Monday he will be at a ceremony to confirm William, 41, as colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps – Harry’s former regiment.
The event will take place in front of an Apache – the type of helicopter Harry flew when he served in Afghanistan.
William, who flew in the Air Ambulance, will also take to the skies in the helicopter.
A source told The Sun: “Timing is everything.”
Sources claim Harry made several attempts to arrange a meeting with his father before flying 5,000 miles for three days in the UK.
At 9.30am, Charles, 75, was photographed leaving Windsor Castle in the State Bentley and reading government newspapers in the back seat.
Around the same time, Harry landed without Meghan or their two children.
He was taken to the HQ of the Honorable Artillery Company at the Barbican for a discussion about the Invictus Games. He was photographed smiling as he left shortly after 6pm.
Earlier in the day, the king spoke to Sitiveni Rabuka of Fiji at the palace.
At 2pm, the Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that Harry would not meet his father.
The spokesperson said: “In response to the many questions and ongoing speculation about whether or not the Duke will be reunited with his father whilst in the UK this week, it will unfortunately not be possible due to Her Majesty’s full programme.
“The Duke, of course, understands his father’s schedule and various other priorities and looks forward to seeing him soon.”
The Duke, of course, understands his father’s schedule and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.
Spokesperson
Buckingham Palace declined to comment or respond.
Shortly afterwards, the Palace announced the date for William to take command of the Army Air Corps, to which Harry was attached for his second tour of Afghanistan until 2014.
William’s role was announced in August.
Yesterday it was confirmed that the ceremony will take place next Monday at the Army Aviation Center in Middle Wallop, Hants.
The king will walk to the control tower and officially pass the position of colonel-in-chief, which he held for 31 years, to William.
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Harry and the King can’t play happy families with so much public attention, says The Sun’s Matt Wilkinson
By Matt Wilkinson, Royal Editor
Prince Harry is in London, but he will not meet his father, the King.
The Duke of Sussex arrived from Los Angeles alone, without Meghan or their children, for a busy schedule of events marking the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games.
Before departing California, it is understood that Harry was “looking forward” to seeing the king for the second time since his cancer diagnosis.
It is quite telling that confirmation that there will be no meeting came from the Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and not Buckingham Palace.
His team states that “unfortunately it will not be possible due to Her Majesty’s full program”.
They add: “The Duke, of course, understands his father’s schedule and various other priorities and looks forward to seeing him soon.”
Now, the word that stands out is “priorities”.
The king, we know, is busy returning to public service.
For example, on Tuesday, while Harry was in London, the king was carrying out his constitutional duty and meeting the Prime Minister of Fiji at the palace.
He is also expected to host a party in the palace garden and a weekly audience with the prime minister on Wednesday.
And Harry’s diary is full for three days with Invictus. However, sometimes they will be just two miles apart and risk passing each other on London’s roads.
Some observers may see this as “sad” because father and son cannot find the time.
Others may say that it is understandable, as they both have commitments and work “priorities”.
But perhaps there was too much water under the bridge for father and son to play happy families amid so much public attention.
The Prince of Wales will then receive a briefing on the work of the Corps from the Colonel Commanding, Lieutenant-General Sir Nicholas Borton.
‘Private meetings’
William will attend a training exercise and take control of the Apache for a flight.
Today, Charles and Harry will be two miles away as the Duke takes part in an Invictus Games celebration at St Paul’s Cathedral from 5pm.
Charles is expected to host the first Garden Party of the year at Buckingham Palace from 4pm.
He also has his weekly audience with PM Rishi Sunak.
The pair’s diaries also fail to line up tomorrow, when Harry will have “private meetings” and the king will have an engagement in Windsor.
At the end of the week, Harry, who would be staying in a hotel, will be accompanied by his wife Meghan for a trip to Nigeria.
Meanwhile, William will be in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Thursday and Friday.
Harry passed the Army Air Corps rating and Pilot Selection Board interview in December 2008 to begin pilot training in January 2009.
On his first trip to Afghanistan, in 2008, he called for air strikes against Taliban positions.
He later qualified as an Apache commander in 2012 after three years of training.
He then spent a five-month trip to Afghanistan, where he flew an Apache.
Timing is everything
Insider
Harry wrote glowingly about the helicopter in his memoir Spare, saying: “What a privilege, I thought, to experience this kind of raw power and put it to work alongside us.”
But he sparked outrage when he revealed he had killed 25 enemy combatants, writing: “I didn’t think of those 25 as people.
“They were chess pieces removed from the board.
“Bad people eliminated before they could kill good people.”
In January, Harry was honored in Los Angeles at the 21st Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards alongside John Travolta.
William served in the Army as a Platoon Commander in The Blues and Royals, before completing flying training with the Royal Air Force.
He spent three years as an RAF search and rescue pilot in Anglesey, North Wales, before working as an air ambulance pilot in East Anglia for two years.
He remained in the cockpit to maintain his flying hours and maintain his license.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
