Prince Harry, whose already strained relationship with his family became further estranged following the release of his tell-all memoir Spare, is currently in England, but he reportedly won’t be seeing his cancer-stricken father, King Charles III. A spokesman for the Prince told the BBC that the King has a “full programme” and that the ginger-haired royal “hopes to see him soon.”
“The duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon,” said the statement. Harry did visit his father in February of this year, shortly after Charles’ cancer diagnosis. According to ABC, the “full programme” includes a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry is in London to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, a sporting event for wounded and injured military veterans that’s close to his heart, as he served two tours in Afghanistan as a pilot. He will reportedly not be seeing his brother, Prince William, who won’t be attending the event. Harry also gave a reading at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, per the BBC, where Homeland actor Damian Lewis recited a poem.
But while the Windsors may have RSVP’d “no,” Harry’s Spencer family was happy to support him. Town & Country reports that many members of the late Princess Diana’s family attended the service, including her brother, Charles Spencer, her sister, Lady Jane Fellowes, and Harry’s cousins Lara Spencer, Louis Spencer, and George McCorquodale. Given that at the end of her life, Diana was also attempting to extricate herself from royal machinations, it stands to reason that the Spencers have some sympathy for Harry’s journey.