Prince Harry was offered the chance to stay with King Charles at Balmoral on the anniversary of the Queen’s death, but said his busy travel schedule made this impossible.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, was given the opportunity to reunite with his father in a gesture from the king on the evening of September 7.
Harry had requested security and royal accommodation and security for the night as he was attending a WellChild charity party in Chelsea, west London.
But he was told that none of the royal properties in Windsor or the capital were available to him.
A senior aide is said to have pointed out that most of the staff were at Balmoral, along with King Charles and Queen Camilla, and would be welcome there.
Had he gone, it would have meant the trio would have been reunited for the first time since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and on the first anniversary of her death.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, was given the opportunity to reunite with his father before the evening of September 7 in a gesture from the king. They are pictured here in 2018.
Harry was pictured holding a short vigil at the Queen’s resting place, located in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel, on the anniversary of her death
The Duke and Duchess were spotted backstage shortly after chatting with Kevin Costner and the VIP guests at an event yesterday
But The sun reports that Harry – who was pictured last night with Meghan standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kevin Costner – turned down the opportunity.
Instead, he stayed south in a mysterious location and celebrated the occasion alone.
He was pictured holding a short vigil at the Queen’s resting place, located in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
In Scotland, King Charles and Camilla held private prayers at Crathie Kirk.
Later that day, Harry flew from Britain to Dusseldorf for the Invictus Games, where he was also joined by Meghan.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: ‘For Harry this was a missed opportunity.
Flowers were placed by the Prince and Princess of Wales at a service at St David’s Cathedral, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, West Wales, to commemorate the life of the late Queen, to mark the one year anniversary of her death
Harry and Meghan were introduced on stage as special guests and Meghan presented Kevin with an honorary award
“He should have braved it and gone to them.
‘If the King invited you to Balmoral, most people would cancel all their travel plans.
‘He could easily have rearranged things a bit to give himself time.
‘Any attempt at rapprochement must be on the king’s terms. I’m glad he’s showing some backbone and offering this olive branch.
‘But Harry must have known that not only the king but the entire royal court was going to Balmoral for the summer and that this was the only place he could go.
‘I’m not sure Harry realized how hurt his father was, especially by the things he said about Camilla.
‘But of course Charles will always welcome him because he is a forgiving man and he is his son.
‘But it has to be on his terms and Harry has to apologize, not the other way around.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, delivers a speech at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games
“If he wants safety and a place to stay, palaces that are covered in dust and thoroughly cleaned when the royal family is away from their residence over the summer will not be opened to Harry.”
Buckingham Palace and representatives of the king and queen declined to comment. Meghan and Harry’s representative were also contacted but did not respond to a request for comment.
Yesterday, Harry and Meghan made a surprise appearance at Kevin Costner’s ‘One805 Live!’ charity event for first responders.
The event was held at the Hollywood star’s $26 million polo field in Santa Barbara.
They were joined by their good friends Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres as they took another step into Hollywood royalty.
The fundraising event — where “last chance” tables cost $12,000 — was hosted at Kevin Costner’s oceanfront estate in Summerland and featured notable guests, including Katy Perry’s parents.
Harry wore black, while Meghan opted for a sophisticated, chic look, in a monochrome jacket with her hair pulled back clean-girl style.
Upon their arrival, the Duke and Duchess – who have just returned from a PDA-packed performance at the Invictus Games in Germany – were spotted backstage chatting with Costner, his VIP guests and senior police and fire officials.
Speaking at the event, Costner said: ‘Good afternoon everyone, I get a lot of questions from my friends who have no manners… ‘Kev, how much does this place cost, what is it worth?’ I can just tell you that on a day like today, it’s worth every penny.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at Kevin Costner’s ‘One805 Live!’ event, held on his $26 million polo field, a charity event held to raise money for local first responders
The couple was accompanied by their good friend Oprah – the talk show host who conducted the royal couple’s infamous, explosive interview in 2021.
Pictured: Kevin Costner and Harry. Harry and Meghan were introduced on stage as special guests and Meghan presented Kevin with an honorary award
The Duchess beams at Prince Harry as they are introduced as special guests
“We can highlight people you might never meet, the ones who rush in first,” he added. “It’s a place where I’ve been very lucky in my life and I try not to put a wall around it.”
Harry and Meghan were introduced on stage as special guests and Meghan presented Kevin with an honorary award – before doing a mini Royal-style walkabout to greet other attendees.
Meghan beamed at the camera throughout the event, while Harry stared off into the distance at times.
After their moment on stage, the couple headed to the VIP area where they were stopped by pop singer Katy Perry’s mom and dad and posed for a selfie.
Another influential participant, Oprah Winfrey, gave a talk on stage.
The talk show host — who conducted the royal couple’s infamously explosive interview in 2021 — introduced a man named Sam Dudley and his service dog Rhonda in a video reposted to One805 Instagram stories.
“Sam, in addition to all the extraordinary things One805 does, they have a counseling service where they mentor over 700 first responders and have prevented 24 suicides this year alone,” she said. “And Sam knows all too well how useful the one805 advisory services are.”
As the evening progressed, Harry revealed his dance moves while Meghan chatted with other attendees.
The couple also walked around the event to greet other distinguished guests and pose for photos.