KING Charles has ruled out meeting Harry in person – saying he is too busy.
Hours later, in another negotiation, the king revealed that eldest son William will take over the management of Harry’s former helicopter regiment next week.
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King Charles ruled out a face-to-face meeting with Harry during his son’s three-day visit to the UKCredit: LNP
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Hours later, the king also revealed that eldest son William will take over Harry’s former helicopter regiment next weekCredit: PA
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Prince Harry with a drummer in London’s Honorable Artillery CompanyCredit: Getty
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Harry, 39, was desperate to see his father after flying in from California, but his spokesman said: “Unfortunately that will not be possible due to His Majesty’s busy schedule.”
Harry flew in for events marking ten years of his Invictus Games, as the king greeted the Fijian prime minister at Buckingham Palace.
Two hours later, the King revealed that he will be at the confirmation ceremony for William, 41, as Air Force Commander – Harry’s former regiment – next Monday.
The event will take place in front of an Apache — the type of helicopter Harry flew while serving in Afghanistan.
William, who flew with the Air Ambulance, will also take off 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 to the UK for three days.
At 9.30am Charles, 75, was photographed leaving Windsor Castle in a state Bentley and seen reading government documents in the back seat.
Around the same time, Harry landed without Meghan or their two children.
He was taken to the headquarters of the Honorable Artillery Company at the Barbican for a discussion about the Invictus Games. He was photographed smiling as he left shortly after 6 p.m.
Prince Harry wears military medals at sunny Montecito villa to honor the soldier despite being stripped of his title
Earlier in the day, the king spoke to Fiji’s Sitiveni Rabuk at the palace.
At 2 p.m., the Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that Harry would not be meeting his father.
A spokesman said: “In response to many inquiries and continued speculation about whether the Duke will meet his father while in the UK this week, unfortunately this will not be possible due to His Majesty’s busy schedule.
“The Duke of course understands his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”
The Duke of course understands his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon
Spokesman
Buckingham Palace declined to comment or respond.
Shortly after, the palace announced the date William would take over the command of the Army Air Corps, to which Harry was assigned during his second tour in Afghanistan until 2014.
William’s role was announced in August.
It was confirmed yesterday that the ceremony will take place next Monday at the Air Force Center in Middle Wallop, Hants.
The King will walk to the control tower and officially hand William the role of Colonel-in-Chief, which he has held for 31 years.
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Harry flew in from California for events marking ten years of his Invictus GamesCredit: Getty
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Meanwhile, the King greeted the Prime Minister of Fiji at Buckingham PalaceCredit: Getty
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Sources claim that Harry made several attempts to arrange a meeting with his father before flying 5,000 miles in the UK for three days. Credit: Getty
Harry and the king can’t play happy families with so much public attention, says The Sun’s Matt Wilkinson
Matt Wilkinson, Royal Editor
Prince Harry is in London, but he won’t meet his father the King.
The Duke of Sussex arrived from LA alone, without Meghan or their children, to keep a packed diary of events marking 10 years of his Invictus Games.
Before leaving California, Harry is understood to have “wanted” to see the king for only the second time since he was diagnosed with cancer.
It is quite telling that the confirmation that the meeting will not take place came from the Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and not from Buckingham Palace.
His team says that “unfortunately this will not be possible due to His Majesty’s busy schedule”.
They added: “The Duke is of course understanding about his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”
Now, the word that jumps out is “priorities”.
As far as we know, the king is busy as he returns to public duty.
For example, on Tuesday, while Harry was in London, the king carried out his constitutional duty and met with the Prime Minister of Fiji at the palace.
He is also scheduled to host a palace garden party and a weekly audience with the Prime Minister on Wednesday.
And Harry’s diary is full of three days with Invictus. However, sometimes they will be only three miles apart and risk even driving side by side on London’s roads.
Some observers may see this as “sad” that father and son cannot find time.
Others might say it’s understandable since they both have work commitments and “priorities”.
But maybe there was just too much water under the bridge for father and son to play happy family in the midst of so much public attention.
The Prince of Wales will then receive a briefing on the work of the Corps from Colonel, Commandant, Lieutenant-General Sir Nicholas Borton.
‘Private Meetings’
William will watch the exercise and take control of the Apache for flight.
Today, Charles and Harry will be three miles apart as the Duke attends the Invictus Games celebrations at St Paul’s Cathedral from 5pm.
Charles is expected to host the first Garden Party of the year at Buckingham Palace from 4 p.m.
He also has his weekly audience with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The couple’s diaries also don’t line up tomorrow when Harry has “private meetings” and the King is understood to have an engagement at Windsor.
At the end of the week, Harry, who will reportedly stay in a hotel, will be joined by his wife Meghan on 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 evaluation and pilot selection board interview in December 2008 to begin pilot training in January 2009.
On his first tour of Afghanistan in 2008, he called for airstrikes on Taliban positions.
He later qualified as an Apache commander in 2012 after three years of training.
He then spent a five-month tour in Afghanistan flying an Apache.
Timing is everything
Informed
Harry wrote glowingly of the ‘copter in his memoirs Spara, saying: “What a privilege, I thought, to experience this kind of raw power and put it to work for our side.”
But he sparked outrage when he revealed he had killed 25 enemy fighters, writing: “I did not think of those 25 as human beings.
“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 leader in The Blues and Royals, before completing his flying training in 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 stayed in the cockpit to keep up his pilot hours to keep his license.
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Charles and Harry will be three miles apart today Credit: Getty
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Charles will host the first Garden Party of the year at Buckingham Palace today from 4pm Credit: Daniel Jones – The Sun
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Today Harry was taken to the headquarters of the Honorable Artillery Company in Shoreditch. Credit: Alamy
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