Harry in astonishing snub to Charles after rejecting offer to spend anniversary of Queen’s death with father at Balmoral
PRINCE Harry rejected an offer to spend the anniversary of the Queen’s death at Balmoral with his father, The Sun can reveal.
Experts were stunned earlier tonight that he turned down the olive branch, seen as a sign that the King was ready to forgive his son’s repeated attacks on the Royal Family.
The Duke of Sussex, who was prepared to fly more than 5,000 miles from the US, snubbed the relatively short trip to Balmoral.
The next morning, he was alone as he marked 12 months since his grandmother’s death, before jetting off to Germany for the Invictus Games.
Harry’s shock snub came after he formally asked the King’s office for royal accommodation and security for his one-night stopover earlier this month.
He was appearing at a WellChild charity bash in Chelsea, West London, before going to Dusseldorf the next day.
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But a senior aide politely informed him that none of the family’s London homes or Windsor Castle were available as most staff were in the Highlands.
Instead, Harry was told he was welcome to join them at Balmoral, where Charles and Queen Camilla were having private family time.
It would have reunited Harry with his father and stepmum for only a few hours, but still would have been the longest period together since the Queen’s funeral.
However, Harry — who described Camilla as a “villain” in his book Spare — is understood to have claimed his itinerary made the trip impossible, to the surprise of royal experts.
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The next morning, he held a short vigil alone without any family members by the Queen’s final resting place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Meanwhile, Charles, 74, and Camilla, 76, ventured out for a private prayer and reflection at Crathie Kirk.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: “For Harry this was a golden opportunity missed.
“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.
“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.”
Harry, who is now based with his family in Montecito, California, must request permission to stay in a royal property.
Over summer, most are either closed, running on a skeleton crew or thrown open to tourists.
After 24 hours in England, Harry flew to Germany for his military event, and was joined three days later by Meghan, 42, her first major public appearance in a year.
While there, the couple celebrated Harry’s 39th birthday in a Dusseldorf restaurant.
The Prince was also serenaded by fans at the Games, but there was no acknowledgement from his royal relatives.
Buckingham Palace said that it does not publicly recognise birthdays for non-working royals.
However, social media accounts did mark Harry’s 37th birthday two years before.
The Sun revealed earlier this year that the King was evicting Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage, Windsor.
The property was a wedding gift from the Queen in 2018 and was thought to remain their UK base after they moved abroad.
The cottage is currently empty and Harry has no access.
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The Sussexes were also stripped of their 24-hour armed Met guards in the UK when they stepped down.
Harry is suing the Home Office, claiming the removal of protection was “unfair” and “illegal”.