When Prince Harry recently visited the UK, he made it known that his father King Charles was “too busy” to see him – but that has now been challenged and one royal expert has said the statement “benefitted nobody”

Prince Harry’s statement that his father was “too busy” to see him on his recent UK trip was “unnecessary and hurtful” for a tired King Charles, a royal expert has claimed.

When Harry paid a visit to his homeland last month to attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral for the Invictus Games, speculation was rife a reunion was on the cards. But within hours of arriving in London, a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex let it be known that there would be no reunion with his father due to the monarch’s busy schedule.

However, that statement has been challenged following new reports that claim Harry decided to turn down an invitation from his father, who is undergoing cancer treatment, to stay at a royal residence because he had concerns about his security.

Harry is said to have turned down the offer because it did not come with any security provision and instead stayed in a hotel. And according to royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward, Harry’s previous statement was of benefit to nobody.

She told the Mirror: “Harry’s unpredictable behaviour is hurtful to his father. Even if he were too busy to see Harry – and that is quite possible – to issue an announcement to this effect is unnecessary and benefits no one. This is especially the case when his father is still undergoing cancer treatment and could well be very tired and emotionally fragile.

“When Prince Harry turned down his father’s offer to stay at a royal residence during his three-day trip to London in May, it was a surprise to the royal household.

“The King was aware Harry had no UK base. He could not fail to be aware Harry was unduly anxious about security. But he was not aware that Harry would issue a statement saying his father was too busy to meet him. It was hurtful and even if true if they had been under the same roof a meeting might have been arranged.

“The King is wary of his troublesome son. Whatever he does to try and help him is turned into a snub. Nothing is ever Harry’s fault. It is either the fault of the British Government, or the lack of security afforded him by the Metropolitan Police. They have offered him a ‘bespoke’ arrangement, assessing each visit individually. Not good enough for Harry. He had his own arrangement to stay at a luxury private hotel where the entrance and exit are hidden from peering eyes and cameras and even the hotel staff don’t know what VIP guests are staying.”

And now with security proving to be a major issue for Harry, Ingrid, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, believes it could prevent Charles from fulfilling one long-held wish.

She added: “Harry and Meghan’s security fears could well be a stumbling block to any kind of reunion with the Royal Family. But no doubt they have been invited to Balmoral this summer. As the late Queen discovered, Scotland offers the only quality time a Monarch has to devote to family. It would be very sad if Charles was denied the pleasure of seeing his grandchildren just because of Harry’s unfounded security woes.”