Prince Harry's decision to avoid any official engagements during King Charles's Caribbean tour has sparked debate over whether it was a genuine attempt to avoid overshadowing his father or a subtle dig at the Palace. The Duke of Sussex publicly announced he would not be taking on any engagements during the tour, a move that royal commentators have analysed closely.
King Charles's Caribbean Tour Concludes
King Charles wrapped up his nine-day tour of the Caribbean today, which saw him visit the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda. The monarch undertook countless engagements before delivering an address at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
As the tour kicked off, a source close to the Sussexes said Harry was mindful not to overshadow the trip by booking his own appearances. The insider told the Times: "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."
Questions Over Motives
The source claimed that the Sussexes aren't always informed in advance of events and are unable to withdraw from commitments so they do not disappoint charities. They added: "He can only mitigate against clashes if information is shared with him in advance. Some information is shared, but not all information is and that's fine."
As the King's tour drew to a close, Russell Myers, the Mirror's royal editor, questioned on the Mirror's Pod Save The King YouTube show whether the Duke was trying to placate the Palace with the statement and pave the way to reconciliation with his father.
Russell said: "I do think it was rather interesting that we had to hear from Harry and make those comments about, 'I'm not going to torpedo my father's tour.' It would have been absolutely catastrophic, I suppose, if he had done that. Very, very damaging for relations if they're trying to move that forward. But interesting that he felt that he needed to say that. Is he trying to make these public statements to quell the fears within the Palace and his own family?"
A Subtle Dig at the Palace?
The Mirror's deputy royal editor Jennifer Newton countered that the statement may have been a subtle dig at the King and palace aides, as Harry had previously complained about the Firm not sharing their calendar to avoid such clashes.
Jennifer said: "I think it was quite interesting what a source close to Harry said, which was, 'Well, I don't ever set out to overshadow my dad and brother, but they don't always share diaries with me, and that's fine.' Which I thought that's fair enough, but that was still a little bit of a dig, wasn't it?"
Just hours after the King jetted home from his Caribbean visit, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they would be heading to Belgium next week. In Brussels, Harry and Meghan will deliver a joint keynote address at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial in the European Parliament.
The Lost Screen Memorial has been created by Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation to commemorate the lives of children who have lost their lives as a result of the harm they suffered on social media. It was unveiled in New York last year and taken to Geneva earlier this year, where Meghan gave a keynote speech. Afterwards, Harry will join a panel discussion in the European Parliament, which will consider how children can be protected online, covering topics including the responsibilities of tech companies and preventing online child sexual abuse and exploitation.
