Prince Harry was ‘blocked’ from having a heart-to-heart with King Charles by Palace aides over fears ‘they’d never get rid of him’, it was claimed last night.
Following the King’s cancer diagnosis, it is believed the Duke of Sussex had hoped to join him for a few days at Sandringham when he touched down in London last week.
However, according to an insider he was instructed to visit Clarence House, his father’s London home, for a short managed face-to-face meeting before being told to get himself a hotel for the night.
‘Harry came over to see his father, expecting to go to Sandringham. But instead he was asked to be at Clarence House and was restricted to 30 minutes,’ the source told The Sun on Sunday.
‘The fear was that if he went to Sandringham they would never get rid of him.’
Prince Harry is pictured arriving at Clarence House during his brief trip to see his father
He spent just 45 minutes speaking with the King before later jetting back home to California (Prince Harry is pictured in the Windsor Suite at Heathrow on his way home)
King Charles leaves The London Clinic on January 29 after having treatment for an enlarged prostate
The Duke of Sussex, pictured in Vancouver, was reportedly ‘blocked’ from having a heart-to-heart with Charles by Palace aides
The comments come as it was claimed Prince Harry had ‘zero chance’ of coming back into The Firm, with royal insiders saying Prince William ‘would not allow it’ amid claims his brother and Meghan Markle ‘cannot be trusted’.
Harry’s transatlantic dash raised hopes that his return to Britain will be used to heal wounds with King Charles and a chance to reach out to his brother Prince William.
In a TV interview with Good Morning America on Friday, Harry said he hoped that his father’s illness could have a ‘reunifying effect’ on the family.
Prince Harry, who stepped down as a working royal alongside his wife the Duchess of Sussex in 2020, is a counsellor of state but is not expected to take up any of the King’s duties while he recovers.
Harry also said ‘I love my family’ and that he was ‘grateful’ to be able to spend time with his father when he flew back to the UK last week.
But insiders last night insisted no offer had been made to Harry to take on a ‘half in, half out’ hybrid royal role.
Insisting other senior royals like the Queen, Prince William, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie were ‘more than capable of holding the fort’, a source told The Sun on Sunday: ‘Is Harry really saying he’d fly back from California to attend an investiture?’
Palace sources have emphasised the King’s illness would not change the terms of the Sandringham summit agreement, in which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s exit from the working Royal family was agreed in detail.
‘Those terms were quite clear, and the King’s illness hasn’t altered that,’ a source said, according to the Telegraph.
Another told the newspaper that the view a hybrid model of being a working royal was not appropriate still ‘remains the case’.
The duke and his father are said to have had several ‘warm exchanges’ since the King’s illness was diagnosed, The Times claimed.
A royal source also told the newspaper that Charles, 75, is keen to reconcile and see more of his son, and believes doing so would benefit the monarchy.
The Duke of Sussex spent this week in Whistler, Canada, with his wife Meghan to attend the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistlers One Year To Go Winter Training Camp
Following the King’s cancer diagnosis, it is believed the Duke of Sussex had hoped to join him for a few days but it was denied
According to an insider Harry was instructed to visit Clarence House, his father’s London home, for a short managed face-to-face meeting before being told to get himself a hotel for the night (King Charles and Queen Camilla are seen leaving Clarence House)
Prince Harry and Meghan attend the winter training alongside Luisana Lopilato and Michael Buble
The Price tries his hand at wheelchair curling at the One Year To Go training event
He certainly looked happy with himself after this shot at the training event
Harry has publicly shared that he is planning more trips to Britain in the future
The pair looked very happy to be attending the practice winter games event
The pair of them share a smile as Harry tried his hand at another winter sport
The source told The Times: ‘On all practical levels it makes perfect sense for the family to come together to support the King while he’s sick.
‘Much has been said on both sides in recent years, but that has never diminished the fundamental bond of blood, and there are now pragmatic aspects to consider, with the King and Kate’s wellbeing -paramount in this.
‘The details of the Clarence House meeting and subsequent conversations are private, but the feeling is that this arrangement could work.’
On Friday, Harry made an appearance on US television to say that he has ‘other trips’ to Britain planned and he ‘loves his family’.
The 39-year-old has spent the last couple of days in Whistler, Canada, with his wife Meghan to attend the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistlers One Year To Go Winter Training Camp.
The couple were followed around by cameras and a Good Morning America television crew.
Harry told them that he ‘loved his family’ and that he ‘jumped on a plane’ to visit the King ‘as soon as I could’ after speaking on the phone about his cancer diagnosis.
The Prince added he will try and to ‘stop and see family as much as I can’ and said that he had other trips and plans that will take him to the UK.
During his time in Whistler, the Prince enjoyed a thrill-filled ride around a skeleton bobsled track, where he reached speeds of 61mph
Meghan beamed as she watched her husband in Whistler yesterday
The Prince of Wales prepares to perform an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle
William looks on ahead of the ceremony last week at Windsor Castle
Ellen White, now Ellen Convery, is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to football
The royal is expected to return to Britain in May for a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games.
When Harry met with his father for around 45 minutes it was thought to be their first proper contact in 15 months.
On Saturday night, Harry and Meghan were seen jetting home to California following a Canadian send off that saw them serenaded with a rewritten version of My Way by crooner Michael Buble.
The couple were seen boarding the same Bombardier Execujet charter plane they arrived on at 8.20am on Saturday morning at Vancouver International airport.
Luggage was loaded on board at 8am and the plane took off for Santa Barbara just after 8.30am.
Following Harry’s return to the UK, there have been rumours that the prince is ‘willing’ to take on a ‘temporary royal role’ amid King Charles’s cancer battle.
Harry, 39, reportedly told friends he would return to Britain to help with royal duties while his father undergoes cancer treatment.
The pair have had several ‘warm exchanges’ since the monarch’s diagnosis with an unspecified type of cancer, it was claimed.
Royal expert Hugo Vickers told that ‘neither side’ wants Harry and Meghan back in the UK, despite the perceived ‘olive branch’.
He said: ‘I personally, actually don’t think that there’s any wish on anyone’s side for him to come home at the moment, and take up royal duties again.
‘He can’t suddenly pick up royal duties again, under the present circumstances, it’s quite a long way [away]. It’s always possible to reconcile. It’s always possible for things to be sorted out, but not that quickly. So no, is the answer.’