Some social media users are calling Charles by a new nickname: King Charles the Cruel. They gave him the label after he turned down an invitation to a ceremony for his son, Harry, even though Harry himself has acknowledged that the king’s scheduled is quite packed.
Harry returned to London this week for a Service of Thanksgiving event at St. Paul’s Cathedral commemorating a decade of the Invictus Games — a competition founded by Harry that honors wounded, injured and ill soldiers. It is understood that Harry invited King Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton to the ceremony, per People. None of them showed up.
The Duke of Sussex was supported by his late mother, Princess Diana’s family. His uncle Charles Spencer, his aunt Lady Jane Fellowes and his cousin Louis Spencer all came to support Harry, per ABC News.
Charles was unable to make the event as he was hosting the annual first garden party of the season at Buckingham Palace.
“In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not The Duke will meet with his father while in the U.K. this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program. The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon,” a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said, per CBS News.
Royal relationships have been rocky since Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, gave up their royal duties for a quieter life in America. Harry and Meghan have publicly defended their decision to separate from royalty multiple times: in a Netflix series, a memoir and multiple interviews.
Despite Harry’s public desire to repair his relationship with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, it seems the family is still working through tension.
Harry’s last known visit with his father came after the monarch’s cancer diagnosis in February.
In a prerecorded interview with Will Reeve of “Good Morning America,” Harry shared his response to hearing the news of his father’s cancer diagnosis.
“I spoke to him. I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could,” Harry told Reeve when asked about his reaction to the news.
“Look, I love my family,” Harry continued. “The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.”
When asked about his outlook on Charles’ health, Harry said, “That stays between me and him.” But he noted his outlook on how illness can impact family relationships.
“Throughout all of these families, I see it on a day-to-day basis, again, the strength of the family unit coming together,” Harry said. “So, yeah, I think any illness, any sickness, brings families together. I see it time and time again, and that makes me very happy.”
Harry misses out on military title
On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince William will be made colonel in chief of the Army Air Corps. It is a role that most likely would have been given to Harry had he not given up his royal duties, per The Independent.
William and Harry are both trained military pilots, but Harry served a tour in the Army Air Corps in Afghanistan. Harry was stripped of three honorary military titles when he stepped down as a working royal: captain general of the Royal Marines, honorary air commandant of RAF Honington and commodore-in-chief small ships and diving, per Newsweek.
“His Majesty the King will officially hand over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales,” the palace said in a statement, per the Independent.
Harry previously received praise from his former Army Air Corps commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tom de la Rue.
“Captain Wales has reached the pinnacle of flying excellence as an Apache pilot,” he said, “particularly in Afghanistan, and, in the process, has proved to be a real inspiration to the many Army Air Corps officers and soldiers who have come to know him so well,” per The Independent.
Royal experts think Charles snubbed Harry by giving the title to William.
“It is one slap in the face after another for Harry,” royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital about the announcement.
“Taking away another military regiment … means nothing to the British public,” Pelham Turner continued. “But it does to Harry. (It’s) the regiment he served in until 2014. Giving it to William will only further highlight the churlish divisions and not show a forgiving nature.”
Trending: #KingCharlesTheCruel
Some social media users are calling Charles out for turning down Harry’s invitation to the 10th anniversary celebration of Invictus Games and for giving William a military title they believe Harry deserves.