Prince Harry won't meet with King Charles as he arrives in London without Meghan Markle

Publish date: 2024-05-31

Prince Harry will not reunite with his father, King Charles, during his return to the UK ahead of the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, which he will mark at a ceremony in St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday.

HELLO! understands the Duke will not meet with his father while in the UK this week "due to His Majesty's full programme". A source says: "The Duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."

WATCH: Relive the moment Prince Harry teased HELLO! at Invictus Games event

One of the King's activities is the hosting of a garden party on Wednesday, the first garden party of the year and one of the monarch's first major activities since his cancer diagnosis.

On Tuesday, Charles also met with Major General the Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka, the prime minister of the Republic of Fiji.

In February, Harry flew back to the UK to spend time with the monarch following the news that the 75-year-old had been diagnosed with cancer. The King was seen earlier on Tuesday being driven from Windsor to London ahead of Harry's visit to the capital.

HELLO!'s royal editor, Emily Nash said: "To an outsider it may seem odd that they can't make time for a meeting, but the King is head of state and has his diary planned months in advance - so it wasn't a given that it would happen, with Harry only here for a couple of days. It will inevitably lead to speculation over the state of their relationship, which has come under pressure over the past few years."

According to ITV's royal editor, Chris Ship, the Duke of Sussex is expected to carry out events related to the Invictus Games on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's service. Harry attended the Honourable Artillery Company's headquarters on the edge of London during the day. The Duke was seen meeting patrons of the Games, including Louise Minchin and Sir Keith Mills.

The Duke also spoke at a panel discussion alongside Louise and Sir Keith, with one of the topics being the future of the Games, looking forward to its eventual 20th anniversary in 2034. During the discussion, Harry said: "Sometimes you… look back and go 'Look at what we’ve done'. But also given the state of the world, there is so much more to do and I think a lot of uncertainty – but what we've created is a global community."

When pressed on the future of the Games, the royal confirmed they would continue so long as they "serve their purpose".

In a foreword for the celebrations, the Duke wrote: "It has been an honour to watch the Invictus Games Foundation grow over the years; what began as a vision to pay tribute to the courage and resilience of wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans, has flourished into an international organisation built on hope, strength, and unity."

Although the Duke of Sussex's wife, Meghan Markle, has accompanied him to many Invictus-related events in the past, including last year's games in Dusseldorf and a tour of 2025 host nation Canada, she was't present with the royal on this occasion. Meghan instead remains back at their California home with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Harry's time in the UK will be relatively short, with the Duke reuniting with the Duchess of Sussex later in the week during a joint trip to Nigeria. The couple are understood to have been invited by the Chief of Defence Staff, the highest-ranking military official in Nigeria, who Harry previously met at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf last September.

Although it's not yet confirmed what Harry and Meghan will do in the African country, HELLO! understands that the pair will visit several organisations during the tour. The trip comes after Meghan performed a genealogy test that revealed she was 43% Nigerian.

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