As Prince Harry leaves the UK behind once more, the Mirror takes a look at the four-word excuse Prince William reportedly made when the Duke came to him with a wedding plea
Prince Harry leaves St Paul’s Cathedral following Invictus Games service
Prince Harry has now left the UK following his flying visit to London – without having reunited with his brother, Prince William.
The Duke of Sussex briefly returned to his home country to attend a special service for his Invictus Games. He was joined at St. Paul’s Cathedral by close family members of his late mother, Princess Diana, including his aunt Lady Jane Fellowes, and his uncle Charles Spencer.
At the time of the service, his father, King Charles, was hosting a Buckingham Palace garden party just two miles away. Elder brother William was also absent and was at that time hosting an investiture at Windsor Castle.
The deep rift between the warring brothers shows no sign of healing anytime soon, and, according to Harry’s memoir Spare, tensions have been fraught between them long before he and wife Meghan Markle stepped back as senior working royals.
In the explosive autobiography, the duke claimed that he’d made a special request of Prince William ahead of his wedding to Meghan – only to be rejected.
On May 19, 2018, Harry and Meghan couldn’t have looked more joyful as they tied the knot in a fairytale wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. William was the picture of brotherly support, standing by Harry’s side as he welcomed his stylish American bride down the aisle.
It was apparently a very different story behind the scenes however, and Harry has since revealed he was left ‘feeling sick’ following a tense chat with William the night before his sunny springtime nuptials.
In Spare, Harry recalls having drinks with friends at Coworth Park Hotel, where he stayed the night before his big day at Windsor Castle. He claimed William, who had just become a dad for the third time, had been due to join them but he cancelled at the ‘last minute’ citing ‘Kate and the kids’.
He then goes on to say that he reminded William that it was their tradition as the night before the now Prince of Wales’s wedding, the pair had dinner together ahead of greeting the crowds. Harry claims William then asked: “Why are you even saying hello to the crowds, Harold?” To which Harry in response admitted in the book: “I felt sick about it.”
However, Harry did concede that William eventually changed his mind about greeting the crowds and did agree to join his brother, as the Duke of Sussex wondered: “Maybe Granny intervened”.
Harry says he pressed William about having dinner together and staying the night – and eventually, he relented and agreed to dinner, but wouldn’t be staying over, reportedly telling his brother: “Sorry, Harold. Can’t. Kids.”
The duke did not see his father or William during his London visit this week. Ahead of the Invcitus Games service, a spokesperson for Prince Harry said: “In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not The Duke will meet with his father while in the UK 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.”
This comes after a royal expert suggested Prince Harry had chosen to wear his KCVO Neck Order and Star in order to send a message to the absent King Charles and Prince William. The KCVO Neck Order and Star are awards given for services to the monarchy, which fall under the Royal Victorian Order – a distinguished order of knighthood.
Speaking exclusively with the Mirror, royal author Tom Quinn speculated that this decision was a symbolic gesture on Harry’s part – signifying the valuable contributions he has made to the monarchy.
Tom commented: “Harry was seen wearing his Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order medal at St Paul’s Cathedral for the Invictus service. The medal was given to Harry in 2015 by his late grandmother Elizabeth II for ‘services to the monarchy’.”
He continued: “Wearing this was Harry’s way of reminding his family that his grandmother valued his contribution, even if his father and brother do not. Wearing the KCVO neck and star was also Harry’s way of pointing out that he’s not the bad boy he’s portrayed as being by his father and brother.”
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