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Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Lifestyle
Iris Goldsztajn

Prince Harry and King Charles' Relationship Is "Terminally Damaged" After King Declines to See His Son During U.K. Visit: Expert

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry visit the tunnel and trenches at Vimy Memorial Park during the commemorations for the centenary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 2017 in Vimy, France. The Battle Of Vimy Ridge was fought during WW1 as part of the initial phase of the Battle of Arras. Although British-led, it was mostly fought by the Canadian Corps. A centenary commemorative service will be held at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France attended by the Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry and representatives of the Canadian Government.

Prince Harry is in the U.K., and contrary to predictions, he won't be seeing his father King Charles during his stay.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex confirmed that the King is too busy to fit his youngest son into his agenda, telling the Telegraph, "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 programme."

The spokesperson continued: "The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."

Prince Harry and King Charles had a brief meeting in February. (Image credit: Getty)

While Harry's statement was dignified in tone, "we can deduce that their relationship is terminally damaged," claims royal expert Jennie Bond, speaking to OK!.

"In a sensible world, Harry would stay with his dad at Clarence House—they could have cozy chats in perfect privacy and with all the security Harry wants," Bond continued.

There has been a lot of speculation as to whether father and son would meet while Harry was in his native country for an event celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Invictus Games.

King Charles and Prince Harry will not be meeting while the latter is in the U.K. (Image credit: Getty Images)

In recent weeks, it had felt likely that they would, with reports that the duke wanted a meeting with his dad. Though their relationship has been strained since Harry and his wife Meghan Markle moved to the U.S. in 2020, things had been looking up following a successful phone call between the two men on the King's birthday last November.

In the meantime, Charles sadly announced his cancer diagnosis, which prompted Harry to pay him a visit as soon as he could back in February. At the time, their meeting shocked royal watchers when it turned out it had only lasted some 45 minutes or so.

Still, it felt like an indicator that their relationship was on the mend—but with this latest blow, that perspective has been thrown into serious question.

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