Days after a spokesperson for Prince Harry confirmed that the Duke of Sussex wouldn’t be meeting with his father, King Charles, due to His Majesty's 'full' schedule, the king took time to meet with David Beckham.
According to The Times, King Charles and the retired professional soccer player had a 'private meeting' on Friday to discuss King Charles' charity, the King's Foundation.
A representative for Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Ahead of his Nigeria visit with wife Meghan Markle, Harry arrived in London earlier this week sans Markle. The prince joined a panel on Tuesday for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The discussion, 'The IGF Conversation: Realizing a Global Community,' aimed to highlight service personnel and their families.
The next day, the Duke of Sussex appeared at St. Paul’s Cathedral for a service commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
On that same day, Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, welcomed thousands of guests to Buckingham Palace for the first garden party of 2024. The festivities are a longstanding tradition that dates to the 1860s. Other members of the royal family, including Princess Anne, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, were in attendance.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry previously confirmed that the prince wouldn’t be meeting with his father during his time in London.
'In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not The Duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, it, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme,' the statement said.
'The Duke, of course, is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.'
Just after learning that he would not be able to see his father, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday that Harry's brother, Prince William, will be made colonel in chief of the Army Air Corps. The Prince of Wales is succeeding King Charles III as head of the regiment.
'It is one slap in the face after another for Harry,' royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told about the announcement, which some U.K. outlets have described as another 'snub' for the prince.
'I think this is a mistake,' said Pelham Turner about the king not choosing to meet with his son ahead of the bombshell news. 'Patronizing reasons like Harry might spill the beans on a conversation in any future book… are not justified and will only add petrol to the flames. Charles… [was] touchy feeling, holding hands with cancer victims but cannot stretch out to his son.'
'Taking away another military regiment… means nothing to the British public,' Pelham Turner said. 'But it does to Harry. [It’s] the regiment he served in until 2014. Giving it to William will only further highlight the churlish divisions and not show a forgiving nature… On a day when Harry is at an event to celebrate the Invictus Games… I wonder what the recipients… think of the betrayal.'
