Prince Harry's strategic timing for Charles 'invite' that could rock the Palace
The drama began back in 2020, when newly married Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a step back from senior royal duties. The following year, the couple gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey in which the Duke of Sussex claimed his father King Charles III wasn't returning his calls.
Next came a jaw dropping memoir, Spare, in 2023, with the nation's monarch said to have been left 'distraught' when his younger son took swipes at Queen Camilla. But five years on from the start of their fractured relationship, Harry is reportedly set to extend an olive branch to his father with a carefully timed request.
An email invitation to the 2027 Invictus Games will be sent out later this month to King Charles and other senior royals, followed by a formal invite, according to The Mail on Sunday. King Charles is known to draw up his schedule up to three years in advance, so this would give the monarch the best possible chance of attending the event.
The wording of the Invictus invitations has reportedly been approved by Harry, who is said to be giving the final nod on exactly who to invite from the Royal Family. Emails are allegedly being sent to private secretaries at Buckingham Palace, in a move said to mark the first time Harry has reached out in this way in hopes of reconciliation.
The Duke of Sussex's potential olive branch could see him pictured with the Royal Family for the first time since the late Queen's funeral. Royal expert Ingrid Seward explained that getting close to Charles again could prove tough for Harry. "The King might attend to show support for the Armed Forces and congratulate Harry on the most significant success in his life," said the biographer.
"The only reason the King is wary of associating with his son is that he no longer trusts him not to repeat their private conversations as he has done in the past. This goes for all the working members of the family."
But royal commentator Katie Nicholl said the monarch had an 'incredible capacity for forgiveness'. "The King absolutely wants a relationship with his youngest son and with his grandchildren," he said. "He has an incredible capacity for forgiveness and he wants to be magnanimous in all of this and therefore there's certainly a possibility that the King might consider attending Invictus."
The 2027 Invictus Games are set to begin at Birmingham's NEC on July 12, 2027, concluding on July 17. The closing date is also Queen Camilla's 80th birthday, which could lead to a scheduling conflict. In a BBC interview last month, Prince Harry gave indications he was ready to reconcile, saying there was "no point in continuing to fight any more". The 40-year-old dad to Archie and Lilibet added: "Forgiveness is 100 per cent a possibility because I would like to get my father and brother back."
A spokesman for Invictus told the Mail on Sunday: "No formal invitations have been issued as preparations are in the early stages."
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