King Charles’ decision not to meet Prince Harry during his son’s UK trip this week came after a round of “difficult” negotiations, according to a royal expert.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, returned to London on Tuesday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Later that day, the exiled royal’s reps confirmed to The Post that Harry will not be meeting with his estranged father in London this week due to the king’s “full” schedule.
But according to royal commentator Charlotte Griffiths, the monarch’s decision may have been swayed by “certain demands” from Harry.
“There is some talk that behind the scenes, a lot of negotiating went on,” Griffiths told GB News.
“I think the reason was because Harry made certain demands about who could be in the room and who couldn’t. Although on the surface it looks like a snub, Harry made it very difficult for his father.”
When asked to elaborate on the demands, Griffiths said “other forces” could’ve influenced the king’s decision.
“Maybe other forces were driving Charles’ position on this,” she said. “William may have had a thought about how this meeting should be conducted or whether it should be conducted at all.”
“We know that Charles likes to meet Harry with Camilla in the room, which isn’t always a popular decision,” she continued.
“Harry was without his wife as well, so this was fraught with difficulty.”
The duke’s rep on Tuesday said a meeting between the estranged father and son “will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program.”
“The duke, of course, is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon,” a spokesperson for Harry added.
The king’s busy schedule includes his weekly audience with United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the season and previously scheduled engagements.
Harry’s trip to London marks the first time since his visit to see his estranged father following the king’s cancer diagnosis in February, as well as his first trip since learning of his sister-in-law Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis in March.
On Wednesday, the father of two is expected to give a reading at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral to mark a decade since the inaugural Invictus Games took place in the capital.
Actor Damian Lewis, star of “Band of Brothers,” is set to recite the poem “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley, during the service.
It appears as though Harry has been snubbed by his entire family in the UK, as no plans have been made to see him during his brief visit to London.
Not only that, but Harry was forced to book a hotel room ahead of his trip, after not being offered a bed at any of the royal residences peppered across the country.