Prince Harry has been slammed by a royal expert for “throwing a hissy fit” during his recent visit to the UK, during which he snubbed King Charles over security concerns.
The Duke recently made a fleeting visit to London for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which he co-founded, and rumours quickly began swirling over whether he would reunite with his father and other members of the Royal Family.
These were put to bed after a spokesperson revealed the two would not be able to meet due to scheduling conflicts but stressed that Prince Harry would be open to a future meeting.
Later, it was revealed that King Charles had allegedly proposed a meeting with his son at a royal residence to avoid a media frenzy, but Prince Harry turned it down over security concerns, as reported by The Telegraph.
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Instead, he suggested meeting at a hotel in order to “come and go unseen”, despite being in a much more public setting.
This sparked outrage from royal commentator Richard Eden, who tore apart Prince Harry’s “absurd logic” in a scathing rant on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast.
He said: “He’s thrown a hissy fit saying ‘Oh I can’t come it’s not secure’, and then he’s saying ‘I can’t stay at royal palaces because I’d be in danger’… That’s absurd. How can it be more safe to be in a hotel?
“His logic is that if he stays at a hotel, no one knows where he is, he can slip in and out unnoticed .. And remember, that’s why Meghan can’t come, and the children. The official reason from Harry’s camp is that they’re not safe.”
Eden fumed over the implication that the security at the royal residences was “not good enough for this minor royalty in California” and called the Duke “petty” for declining the invitation.
According to The Telegraph, Prince Harry made “several personal requests” to see his father before his spokesperson issued a statement confirming a meeting would not go ahead because the King was too busy.
However, the publication claims that King Charles “did agree to a request from his younger son to stay at an undisclosed royal residence”.
This comes after Prince Harry’s right to automatic police protection in the UK was withdrawn, putting the brakes on a possible royal reunion and reconciliation.
In February 2020, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) declared that he and his family were no longer entitled to the same level of personal security as they were before leaving the Royal Family.