Prince William and Princess Kate wouldn’t have as much sympathy for Harry as the King does (Image: Getty)
It doesn’t take an expert to see that Prince Harry’s trip to the UK has descended into chaos just days after he travelled across the pond solo. The Duke of Sussex prevaricated on whether he would bring Meghan Markle and their two children with him in the lead-up to the visit, culminating in major confusion over accommodation details.
Harry was understood to have turned down the offer of staying at Buckingham Palace with his wife and children, before U-turning just hours later and asking to spend the night there by himself. He was then rebuffed on the basis that he had accepted King Charles’ offer too late and amid fears that his legal case against the Daily Mail, which he lost on all counts this week, could compromise the monarch’s constitutional position.
While Charles is likely conflicted about the situation, with frustration at his son battling his desire to reunite with Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, two members of the Royal Family probably feel vindicated in their suspicions of the Firm’s second most maligned member.
King Charles initially offered Harry accommodation at Buckingham Palace during his trip (Image: Getty)
There doesn’t appear to be much love lost between Harry and the Prince and Princess of Wales following revelations in his memoir about explosive arguments between the brothers and Kate’s hostility towards Meghan.
It’s no wonder, then, that commentator and author Richard Fitzwilliams “doubts that they supported the offer of royal accommodation in the first place”.
William’s approach to Harry behind the scenes is reported to be much tougher than his father’s, viewing his brother’s decision to leave the fold as a permanent reset rather than just a temporary rift.
The duke and duchess immediately went about distancing themselves from the Royal Family after they stepped down as senior working figures, before attempting to rebuild bridges when their commercial brand started to falter.
William’s vision of a slimmed-down monarchy would be unlikely to have space for him, even as a temporary guest on the royal estate, in the same way the future King is thought to be planning to fully ostracise his uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after inheriting the crown.
It would be one thing if Harry had just floundered about and failed to commit to accepting or rejecting the accommodation offer. But the entire visit has been shrouded in frenzied and contradictory media briefing, which reeks of “insincerity”, as Mr Fitzwilliams rightly says.
“I don’t see any other Royal Family members supporting them,” he told this newspaper. “The trip has become a total mess.”
William certainly seems unfazed by his brother’s much-publicised arrival in Britain, as he played bowls with schoolchildren in west London while Harry made his first public outing.
The Prince of Wales, who is not expected to see Harry at any point during his five-day trip, joked with young athletes about the hot weather and discussed the importance of teamwork on Tuesday.
The Royal Family is, in some ways, the epitome of teamwork. Each working member operates as a structured unit, keeping rank and doing their public duty without complaining or throwing each other under the bus.
Harry has shown his disdain for this historic model on numerous occasions, but his anger over being denied a room at the Palace reveals that he still believes he can reap the benefits of being a royal without putting in the work.
It comes as no surprise that William isn’t supportive of that, and he now seems more likely than ever to be indisposed towards the brother he is reportedly not on speaking terms with.
Harry should be grateful for the sympathy is father is extending to him at the moment – he will not always have the luxury of receiving an invitation to turn down.