Prince Harry’s recent statement masked “anger” and “bitterness” as he’s now in “total estrangement” from the Royal Family and left with only the Invictus Games as his link to the Firm.

When Harry visited the U.K. recently to attend the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, he didn’t have any visits with his family. The Duke was expected to visit his cancer-stricken father and sister-in-law on his visit, but later clarified that he couldn’t meet King Charles due to his busy schedule.

However, royal expert and author Tom Quinn says the statement masked how “damaged” his relationship with his father is.

“Harry’s well-publicized statement that he is not going to see his father because he is ‘understanding of his father’s commitments but hopes to see him some time’ may sound perfectly reasonable, but it masks a huge amount of awkwardness, anger, and bitterness.”

“King Charles is stricken with cancer yet his son says they are not going to meet during this rare visit and talks vaguely of seeing his father ‘some time’,” Tom explained to The Mirror.

He continued: “It’s a shocking statement and shows just how damaged the relationship is. Harry has hardly seen his father since he and Meghan left for America in 2020 and with his father seriously ill you might think his first port of call on returning to the UK would be Clarence House – quickly followed by a visit to his sister-in-law, Kate. But no.”

He then went on to quote one of Harry’s old Army friends as saying, “The Invictus Games is just about the only thing that would have got him back in the country – and even then, it was touch and go. That’s how strongly he feels about even being in the same country as his father and brother. It’s total estrangement.”