Prince Harry attends Invictus Games event at St Paul’s Cathedral as father King Charles hosts Buckingham Palace garden party

Prince Harry has arrived at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral for the Invictus Games event while his father King Charles is hosted at Buckingham Palace, less than 4 km away.

Harry, 39, returned to Britain from California this week to attend several events to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, the international sporting event he founded for servicemen wounded in action.

As planned, he arrived alone just before 5pm on Wednesday – wearing his military medals – for the service of thanksgiving, which is expected to end around 6pm, just as Charles wraps up Buckingham Palace’s first garden party of the year.

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There had been speculation that Harry and his father would meet during the trip, but a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex confirmed this will not happen as the king is too busy.

“In response to the many inquiries and ongoing speculation as to whether the Duke will meet his father while in the UK this week, unfortunately this will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full schedule,” the spokesman said on Tuesday.

“The Duke is of course aware of his father’s diary of engagements and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”

King Charles’ younger son has returned to Britain only a few times since he and his American wife Meghan stepped back from official royal roles in 2020 and moved to Los Angeles, where they live with their two young children.

They have since become estranged from the rest of the royal family, and Harry is said to barely speak to his older brother, Crown Prince William.

Harry’s last publicized trip was in February, when he made a flying visit to see his father for a quick meeting after Buckingham Palace revealed the 75-year-old royal had been diagnosed with cancer.

Last week, Charles returned to public duties for the first time since being diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer. Buckingham Palace said the royal’s diary would be carefully managed to minimize any risks to his health.

The palace said it would not comment on matters relating to Harry.

On Tuesday, Harry, who served with the British Armed Forces in Afghanistan, attended a number of meetings related to the Invictus Games. On Wednesday, he will appear at a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, where he will give one of the readings.

After leaving the UK, Harry will be accompanied by his wife Meghan for a visit to Nigeria.

– with AAP/Reuters