Prince Harry recently visited the U.K. to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but the Duke of Sussex failed to reunite with his father,King Charles, leading former royal butler Grant Harrold to declare their relationship is fractured.
"I don't know why they didn't meet. To me, it seemed odd because obviously, you would have thought that when a family member is in a country, you would make sure you've made a point of going to make appointments with them," Harrold said on behalf of Slingo.
"The fact the King said he was extremely busy and yes, he was, he had a garden party in the afternoon, and it's possible that maybe his calendar was very full," he continued. "Sadly, I think it's a sign of how much things have deteriorated and shows you the relationship between them has obviously decreased further, and again, the same with Prince William."
Harry arrived at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday, May 8, but none of the senior royals attended the special gathering.
"Even now I'm beginning to think maybe there will not be a return point from this because the relationship has been so badly damaged," the former royal staffer said. "But as with all things, time can heal. It's possible one day the relationship — in some shape or form — could be back on the cards, but right now I don't think that's an option."
While in London, Harry smiled while participating in a surprise walkabout, and he appeared to enjoy his stay despite not being reunited with the Windsors.
"Being in the U.K. is, of course, going to bring back great memories," Harrold shared. "What will bring him back? It's difficult to say, because he's now got home in the States and obviously he loves that."
"I find it very hard to believe because his friends, his family, everything was in the U.K.," he continued. "I don't even know when he would have last been in Highgrove [the King’s private residence]."
OK! previously reported a source close to the veteran admitted they were shocked that Harry and Charles didn't meet up.
“It surprises me a lot. I was fully expecting them to meet," an insider told an outlet. "I know that’s what he wanted to happen and I don’t know when he’s next back.”
In February, Harry flew to London to see Charles after he was diagnosed with cancer, and the author told Good Morning America he had "other trips planned" to "stop in and see my family as much as I can." The comment led many fans to assume he would catch up with Charles in the spring, but the interaction never happened.
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A spokesperson for Harry confirmed that he wouldn't see the king shortly before he landed 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 U.K. this week, it, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program," the rep said in a statement. "The duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”