Prince Harry has made a significant decision to avoid clashing with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, according to a source. Since returning to the UK in August, Harry has been attending engagements as a private citizen rather than a working royal. At times, his outings or plans have coincided with those of the Royal Family, drawing attention away from the monarchy and potentially causing conflict with the King.
Harry's New Approach to Royal Engagements
A source close to Harry and Meghan told The Times that it has never been Harry's "intention" to take focus away from his family. The source said: "Harry doesn't set out with an intention to try to pull focus or draw attention away from what his father is doing or what his brother is doing. That's never his intention at all, but obviously for him to be able to mitigate against that, he does need to have decent foresight of what's coming up."
The source added that Harry is now "mindful" of when the King and Prince William are carrying out engagements and is trying to ensure his future outings do not clash with significant royal events. The insider said: "He definitely will take it into account."
Upcoming Royal Events Considered
This includes being aware of the King's ongoing tour of The Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda. Harry is also conscious that Prince William, 44, has the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in India in November. Because Harry knows about these events, he is reportedly not planning to make any public appearances at the same time, which could draw attention away from the royals.
Previous Diary Clashes
However, given Harry's history of diary clashes, the King and Prince William may need to see this change in action. Since moving back to the UK, Harry has stepped out at important times for the royals, including an interview with GQ that aired as the royals were welcoming the Sultan of Oman to Windsor for a state visit. Similarly, Harry and Meghan's Nottingham visit weeks ago clashed with King Charles and Queen Camilla's diary, as Their Majesties were in Wales for the opening of the Senedd on the same day.
While Harry is not a working royal, he remains a member of the Royal Family, and his charitable engagements tend to capture public interest, as do Meghan Markle's. This makes it important for Harry to plan his engagements around his royal relatives to avoid unnecessary tensions.
