Prince Harry touched down in the U.K. on Tuesday to celebrate a decade of the Invictus Games, but he has no plans to meet with his father, King Charles III.
A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex responded to the speculation that the pair might meet while in the U.K. in a Tuesday statement to NBC News.
"It unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme," the spokesperson said. "The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."
Charles, who recently shared his cancer diagnosis, was scheduled to meet with U.K. prime minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, about three miles away from where Harry will mark 10 years of the Invictus Games at St. Paul's Cathedral.
"It’s a birthday at the Invictus Games Foundation and we’re all very excited and thrilled," Harry said on Tuesday.
The Invictus Games, which Harry helped found, is a sporting event for injured and wounded servicepeople and veterans, according to the organization’s website.
"Every single games that I go to ... it feels amazing that we have managed to play a part in their recovery," Harry told TODAY's Hoda Kotb in 2022.
Buckingham Palace did not comment on Harry's visit, but announced hours before he arrived that Charles will make Prince William colonel in chief of Harry's old regiment during a joint ceremony next week.
"In some ways, that will be bittersweet," NBC News royal correspondent Daisy McAndrew said on TODAY. "That will cement in many people’s minds that whilst some relationships within the royal family are still very difficult, the main relationship between the heir and the monarch, between William and Charles, is stronger than ever."
Harry briefly visited his father in February after Charles announced he had been diagnosed with cancer.
Harry and his wife, the former Meghan Markle, wished Catherine, the Duchess of Wales, "health and healing" when she announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer herself in April.
Harry and Meghan privately celebrated their son Archie's fifth birthday on May 6, after William and Kate recently shared photos of their daughter, Charlotte, in May and youngest son Louis in April for their 9th and 6th birthdays, respectively.
Harry and Meghan's daughter Lilibet will celebrate her third birthday next month on June 4.
