Prince Harry ‘turned down King Charles’ offer to spend anniversary of Queen’s death at Balmoral with his father’
- The offer was turned down by Harry, who cited his already-busy itinerary
Prince Harry was offered the chance to stay in Balmoral with King Charles on the anniversary of the Queen’s death but said his busy itinerary made it impossible.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, was given the option to reunite with his father for the evening of September 7 in a gesture from the King.
Harry had asked for security and royal accommodation and security for the night because he was attending a WellChild charity bash in Chelsea, West London.
But he was told that none of the Royal properties in Windsor or the capital city were available for him to use.
A senior aide was said to have pointed out most staff were at Balmoral with King Charles and Queen Camilla and would be welcome there.
Had he gone it would have meant that the trio would have been reunited for the first time since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and reunited on the first anniversary of her death.
The Duke of Sussex , 39, was given the option to reunite with his father for the evening of September 7 in a gesture from the King. They are pictured here in 2018.
Harry was pictured holding a short vigil at the Queen’s resting place, located at Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel, on the anniversary of her death
The Duke and Duchess were spotted backstage soon after arriving chatting to Kevin Costner and the VIP guests at an event yesterday
But The Sun reports Harry – who was pictured last night with Meghan rubbing shoulders with Kevin Costner – turned down the opportunity.
Instead he remained in the south in a mystery location and marked the occasion on his own.
He was pictured holding a short vigil at the Queen’s resting place, located at Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel.
Up in Scotland King Charles and Camilla held private prayers at Crathie Kirk.
Later that day Harry jetted out of the UK to Dussledorf for the Invictus Games, where he was also joined by Meghan.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: ‘For Harry this was a golden opportunity missed.
Flowers were placed by the Prince and Princess of Wales during a service at St Davids Cathedral, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, west Wales, to commemorate the life of the late Queen, marking the one-year anniversary of her passing
Harry and Meghan were introduced onstage as special guests and Meghan presented Kevin with an honorary award
‘He should have braved it out and gone to see them.
‘If the King invites you to Balmoral, then most people would cancel all of their travel plans.
‘He could have easily re- arranged things slightly to allow himself the time.
‘Any attempts for a rapprochement must be on the King’s terms. I’m glad he is showing some backbone and offering this olive branch.
‘But Harry must have known that not only the King but the whole of the Royal Court decamp to Balmoral for the summer and that was the only place he could go.
‘I am not sure if Harry has realised how hurt his father was, especially about the things he said about Camilla.
‘But of course Charles will always welcome him as he is a forgiving man and it’s his son.
‘But it has to be on his terms and Harry has to apologise, not the other way round.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex makes a speech during the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games
‘If he wants security and somewhere to stay, palaces which are dust sheeted and throughly cleaned when royals are not in residence during summer are not going to be opened for Harry.’
Buckingham Palace and representatives for the King and Queen declined to comment. Meghan and Harry’s representative was also contacted, but did not respond to a request for comment.
Yesterday Harry and Meghan made a surprise appearance at Kevin Costner’s ‘One805 Live!’ charity event for first responders.
The event was held at the Hollywood star’s $26 million polo field in Santa Barbara.
They were joined by their good friends Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres as they took another step into Hollywood royalty.
The fundraising event – where ‘last chance’ tables cost $12,000 – was hosted at the oceanside estate of Kevin Costner in Summerland and included noteworthy guests, including Katy Perry’s parents.
Harry wore black while Meghan opted for a sophisticated, chic look, in a monochrome jacket with her hair pulled back ‘clean-girl’ style.
Upon their arrival, the Duke and Duchess – who have just returned from a PDA-packed appearance at the Invictus Games in Germany – were spotted backstage chatting with Costner, his VIP guests, and senior police and firefighting service officials.
Speaking at the event, Costner said: ‘Good Afternoon everyone, I get asked a lot by my friends who have no manners … ‘Kev, what’s this place cost, what’s it worth?’ I can just simply tell you on a day like today, it’s worth every penny.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at Kevin Costner ‘s ‘One805 Live!’ event, held at his $26 million polo field, a charity event held to raise money for local first responders
The couple were joined by their good friend Oprah – the talk show host who conducted the Royal couple’s infamous, explosive interview in 2021
Pictured: Kevin Costner and Harry. Harry and Meghan were introduced onstage as special guests and Meghan presented Kevin with an honorary award
The Duchess beams at Prince Harry while they’re introduced as special guests
‘We can celebrate people that you’d maybe never meet, the ones who are the first to rush in,’ he added. ‘It’s a place where I’ve had a lot of good luck in my life and I try to not put a wall around it.’
Harry and Meghan were introduced onstage as special guests and Meghan presented Kevin with an honorary award – before doing a mini Royal-style walkabout to greet other attendees.
Meghan beamed for the camera throughout the event, while Harry was at times caught staring into the distance.
Following their on stage moment, the couple made their way toward the VIP area where they were stopped by pop singer Katy Perry’s mom and dad and posed for a selfie.
Another influential attendee, Oprah Winfrey, gave a talk on stage.
The talk show host – who conducted the Royal couple’s infamous, explosive interview in 2021 – introduced a man named Sam Dudley and his service dog Rhonda in a video which was reposted on One805 Instagram stories.
‘Sam, in addition to all the extraordinary things that One805 does, they have a counseling service where they counsel over 700 responders and this year alone prevented 24 suicided,’ she said. ‘And Sam knows all too well how beneficiary one805 counseling services are.’
As the night unfolded, Harry revealed his dance moves while Meghan engaged in conversation with other attendees.
The couple also walked around the event to greet other distinguished guests and pose for photos.
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