King Charles’s return to public duty has sparked hope among the nation amid his cancer treatment recovery. But optimism may not be as strong for a rekindlement with Prince Harry, who is due to arrive back in Britain next week.
The monarch may be “too busy” to meet Prince Harry in UK due to a tighter schedule now he is making more public appearances, according to the Telegraph.
Harry will be travelling to London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral on May 8 where he will be giving a reading. The prince launched the Invictus Games, a sport event for military personnel wounded in action, in 2014 and the ceremony marks a “decade of changing lives and saving lives through sport”.
It will be Prince Harry’s first visit since February, when he raced to the UK to see King Charles for a whirlwind visit, shortly after his cancer diagnosis was made public.
Today, after getting a green light from his doctors, King Charles will return to public-facing duties and his busy schedule begins once again.
The King and Queen Camilla will jointly visit a cancer treatment centre to meet patients and staff. The reigning monarch has reached a stage of his treatment where doctors are less concerned about his reduced immunity and will assess each new engagement on a case by case basis.
On May 8, the King will have his weekly audience with the Prime Minister before he hopes to attend the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the season – depending on medical advice.
It is not known if Harry will see his brother, Prince William, who is currently in Windsor with his family while the Princess of Wales undergoes chemotherapy for her cancer diagnosis.
The confirmation of Harry’s appearance in London comes after fears circulated that he would pullout of the event – and the visit altogether.
A source previously said that Harry’s visits to the UK are “always dependent on how secure he is”. The source added: “Before deciding whether to attend the Invictus Games anniversary event, his security team must be sure that St. Paul’s is adequately protected by the Metropolitan Police and his own security needs are met while he’s in London.”
Harry’s recent legal battle centred on the Home Office’s refusal to allow him to pay for police protection when he visits the UK.
Since stepping down as a senior royal, the UK government’s stance is that his security, when he visits Britain, should be self-funded. The only exemption would be during official royal events or when accompanying the Royal Family.
