Harry attends St Paul’s with Diana’s relatives as King snubs event for garden party

The depth of the royal family rift has been shown after it was revealed King Charles was too busy to see Prince Harry during his UK visit, royal commentator Jennie Bond said.

The Duke of Sussex arrived back in the UK on Tuesday (7 May) to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

A spokesperson for the Duke said he would not be meeting the King due to “His Majesty’s full programme”.

In an interview with Sky News on Tuesday evening, Ms Bond, who has reported on the royal family for 35 years, said she was “gobsmacked” by the decision.

She said: “I think it speaks volumes about the depth of the rift.”

At the time, the couple promised to still “regularly” visit the UK, but after leaving almost four years ago, they have only returned from their new home in California a handful of times.

Meghan has not been in the country since the Queen’s funeral in September 2020 and she chose to skip King Charles’s coronation in May of last year.

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Prince William is set to become the Colonel-in-Chief of his brother’s old regiment – taking over from his father after 31 years.

The announcement came just an hour after a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said his father would not be meeting him on his trip to London this week.

Harry was attached to the regiment as an Apache pilot for his second tour of Afghanistan between September 2012 and January 2013.

The Princess, 35, gave the first update on her mother since January when it was announced that the Duchess of York, 64, had skin cancer following the removal of several moles.

At the time, the Duchess was said to be “undergoing further investigations to ensure that it has been caught in the early stages.”

Prince Harry attended a service of thanksgiving alongside close relatives of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and a mentor who supported him after her death, along with hundreds from the “Invictus family”.

The ceremony came as the King and Queen Camilla were joined by senior royals and 8,000 attendees at The Sovereign’s Garden Party.

His Majesty and his son have not reunited during Prince Harry’s brief UK visit due to the King’s “full programme.”

Prince Harry smiled as he left a summit on Tuesday (7 May) at the Honourable Artillery Company’s headquarters in the city that reflected on the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which stages sporting events for wounded, sick or injured veterans or serving military to aid their recovery.

The duke’s spokesperson confirmed he would not be reuniting with King Charles III during his visit.

Prince Harry “hopes” to see his father “soon” after the King’s “full programme” meant a reunion was not possible during his trip to London, his spokesperson added.

King Charles III’s decision to be open about his cancer diagnosis has helped the new monarch connect with the people of Britain and strengthened the monarchy in the year since his dazzling coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Charles has used his illness to highlight the need for early diagnosis and treatment, showing leadership at a time of personal hardship. And in the process, people have begun to see him as a more flesh-and-blood character who faces the same challenges as them, not just an archetype of wealth and privilege.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were joined by the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at a garden party at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, 8 May, as the Duke of Sussex celebrated the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games at a St Paul’s Cathedral service.

His Majesty and his son have not reunited during Prince Harry’s brief UK visit due to the King’s “full programme”, Harry’s spokesperson said.

Harry was joined at the service of thanksgiving by close relatives of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and a mentor who supported him after her death, along with hundreds from the “Invictus family”.