King Charles should acknowledge Prince Harry's military service in Afghanistan after not meeting him during the duke's visit to London, a royal author told Newsweek.
The Duke of Sussex is visiting Britain to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games, his project for injured veterans, but his spokesperson confirmed yesterday that his father did not have time to meet with him.
The move by the king, which has been widely interpreted as a "snub" in the British media, came on the same day Buckingham Palace announced that Prince William will be officially given the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, Harry's old regiment, during a special ceremony on Monday.
The saga risks reigniting tensions between Harry and his family, but the Air Corps engagement could also afford Charles an opportunity to pay tribute to Harry's front line service in Afghanistan as the Air Corps role in the war will be discussed on the day.
Ingrid Seward, author of royal biography My Mother and I, said: "That would be a good way around it all and he might genuinely want to.
"That would be a very good opportunity. That will be very telling—if he doesn't mention Harry that will be odd."
Charles will unveil a plaque relating to an Apache that was used in a battle during the Afghanistan War in 2007 and that is being exhibited in The Army Flying Museum, at Middle Wallop.
Harry's first tour of Afghanistan began the same year, meaning Charles will have—if he chooses to take it—an opportunity to seamlessly tip his hat to his second son. Such a move would likely be interpreted as an olive branch publicly, though Seward suggested public opinion may not be at the forefront of his mind.
"Charles has probably lost a few points here but he will not play the scoring points game, he just won't," she said. "Even if his advisers might have said 'the service might be a nice idea,' he will have said 'well, I'm not playing that game'."
Afua Hagan was among those who had hoped Charles and Harry would meet prior to the announcement on Tuesday.
'Missed Opportunity'
"I think it's a real shame actually that the two of them are not going to have any face time together," she said. "Obviously the king is busy and he can't do too much because he's still under doctor's orders.
"The statement said that the duke understands but I do think it's a shame and it is a missed opportunity for both of them.
"It kind of feels like a bit of a snub and as far as we know at this point on Wednesday no one's attending the service for Invictus and it's a brilliant thing that Prince Harry has done.
"It's a passion project and an incredible legacy. The optics are terrible."
Hagan acknowledge some may feel "the king and Camilla want to teach Harry a lesson," but added: "The King is almost certainly not that petty, but he is at risk of looking petty."
"It's not a snub," Seward said. "It's not intended to be unkind but it just doesn't look very good but then Charles won't play to the gallery, he never has done."
Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
