Prince Harry made a rare public appearance in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, attending a thanksgiving ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, drawing attention to his strained relationship with the royal family.
Harry, 39, the youngest son of King Charles, now lives in California with his American wife Meghan and their two children. She has distanced herself from other members of the royal family after recently criticizing them in a memoir, interviews and TV documentaries.
Father and son will not meet on Harry’s current visit, although he traveled for a brief meeting with Charles after Buckingham Palace revealed the 75-year-old monarch had been diagnosed with cancer in February.
“Unfortunately, this is not possible due to Her Majesty’s busy schedule,” said a spokesman for Harry, Duke of Sussex. “Of course the Duke understands his father’s schedule and many priorities and looks forward to seeing him soon.”
While Harry was at St Paul’s Cathedral in London for the Invictus Games, the monarch hosted the first annual garden party at Buckingham Palace with other members of the royal family. The schedule also includes a meeting with the King at a military training base this Thursday.
That meant Harry was the only member of the royal family in St. Paul to attend a gathering celebrating the international sporting event he founded in 2014 for wounded military veterans.
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