Prince Harry 'tried' to see King Charles III during surprise London visit

Prince Harry did not get the chance to see his father, King Charles III, during his visit to London last week because of the latter's busy schedule.

Royal author and expert Alexander Larman told US Weekly during a discussion about his new book "The Windsors at War: The King, His Brother, and a Family Divided," which comes out on April 18, that the Duke of Sussex "apparently tried to see King Charles, but King Charles said he was too busy."

The 38-year-old attended the four-day preliminary hearing of his privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited in London last week which began on March 27, Monday. He appeared at the High Court to show his support although he, among other claimants including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost, was not required to appear and speak in court.

Prince Harry's surprise visit to the U.K. had the public wondering if he met with his family, especially his father. But as Larman claimed, no reunion took place. He echoed what other royal experts said about His Majesty's diary being full and made in advance and a meeting with his son was not part of his schedule.

"I'm told Charles was never expecting to see Harry although he was in the country, Charles was too busy with Germany and the cancellation of his trip to France," royal author Duncan Larcombe said.

Meanwhile, royal expert Shannon Felton Spence claimed the duke timed his visit when Prince William and King Charles III would not be in the country saying, "The king was scheduled to be in France before Germany. He was not even supposed to be in the U.K. So, Harry's surprise trip was strategically planned for when his brother and his father would be out of town."

Fellow royal expert Kinsey Schofield chimed in and said the monarch not meeting his son "was a stark example of consequence." She said he would not want to see Prince Harry following the allegations he made against the royal family and the monarchy in his memoir "Spare," which came out on Jan. 10.

The host of the "ToDiFor Daily" podcast called the missed opportunity for a meeting with the monarch "a direct result of Harry's selfish actions." She said the duke "alienated his family" and "hurt so many people" in his desire to share his truth.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to be in London next during King Charles III's coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6. He and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been invited although according to their representative, they have yet to confirm their attendance.

Larman said he would be "amazed" if the couple, especially the duke, chooses to skip the ceremony. "If he [doesn't] go to the coronation, he's essentially saying, 'I am not gonna have any relationship with my family ever again.'"

The last time the Sussexes reunited with the royals was during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year. They have not been on the best of terms with the family since March 2021, when they sat down for an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey about their former royal life. They again criticised the institution in their "Harry & Meghan" Netflix docuseries which aired on Dec. 8, 2022.

But the damage was worse in the duke's memoir in which he alleged that Prince William physically attacked him during a heated argument in 2019 and also accused his stepmother, Queen Consort Camilla, of leaking stories to the British tabloids in a bid to rehabilitate her image. Prince Harry's revelations only widened his rift with the royals but he reportedly does not regret writing his book and is happy that he has his truth out finally.