Prince Harry has been heavily criticized following his appearance at the NBA Finals, with commentators branding his decision to attend the game as an insult to King Charles. The Duke of Sussex, 41, was spotted in the crowd at game five of the championship series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Saturday.
Harry's NBA Appearance Sparks Outrage
Harry's public outing came just hours after King Charles celebrated his official birthday with the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London. The monarch participated in the traditional military display, showcasing the British Army's ceremonial skills. The Duke of Sussex's absence from the event did not go unnoticed.
TalkTV presenter Mark Dolan voiced his frustration on Monday, accusing Harry of snubbing his father. "Harry snubbed King Charles. That is outrageous. You would think on this occasion he would stay home, watch the ceremony, maybe issue some message congratulating his father on this special occasion," Dolan said. He added, "The idea that he publicly goes to a sports game is a wild insult and a wild snub to his own father."
Royal Expert Weighs In
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield also criticized Harry, suggesting that his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are missing out on important family moments. "Harry's children are missing out on such important historic, amazing events. Harry has to know that. Harry has to know that he is robbing his children of incredible moments with his family," Schofield said during a TalkTV segment.
Dolan echoed this sentiment, claiming that Archie and Lilibet will grow up resenting their parents for turning them into celebrities and cutting them off from their royal relatives. "They are going to be bitter when they're older, aren't they? Because they have been turned into celebrities by their parents at the age of five and seven. They would have had no contact with their grandfathers Thomas Markle and King Charles," he said.
Lack of Royal Connections
Schofield added that the children are also missing relationships with their cousins. "They're going to grow up and not have any relationship with their cousins who are ridiculously normal, sweet, and outgoing," she noted. Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, four, have not seen King Charles since the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. It is understood they have never met Meghan Markle's father, Thomas.
The criticism comes as the royal family gathered for Trooping the Colour, with the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their children—Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8—watching from a window overlooking the parade ground. Harry's absence was a stark contrast to the family unity on display.
