Prince Harry is mindful of not distracting from the King's Caribbean tour and does not set out to overshadow his royal relatives, it is claimed. King Charles landed in The Bahamas yesterday for a nine-day tour of the region, which will also see him visit Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda.
King's Caribbean tour begins
Harry's father began the trip last night by acknowledging the "great suffering of the past" and confirmed Commonwealth leaders will discuss the legacy of slavery at a major summit next week, which he will open. Campaigners have argued this "falls far short of what justice requires" and have put pressure on the monarch to take further action during the trip.
Traditionally, royals are careful not to undertake high-profile visits or appearances that would overshadow another's work, especially state visits carried out by the King. Earlier this month, Harry and Meghan made their first joint public appearance together since moving back to the UK in Nottingham, in what resembled a royal engagement on the same day that the King and Queen opened the Welsh Parliament.
Sussexes' schedule and intentions
Last week, an interview with Harry by GQ magazine, where he issued a plea for reconciliation with his father, brother and Prince William, was published while the rest of the royals hosted the Sultan of Oman in a state visit at Windsor Castle — although the Sussex team say the timing was down to the magazine. However, it is understood that while Charles is in the Caribbean, the Sussexes do not have any public appearances lined up and are spending time with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet during the half-term holidays.
It is believed they do have one more public event together planned before the end of the year. A source close to the couple 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." The insider 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.
Royal status and upcoming engagements
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." It comes weeks after the King made it clear the Sussexes will remain private citizens and are "on their own" despite their bombshell move back to the UK in the summer.
In a firm letter issued on behalf of Charles, it stated that the Sussexes should not use their HRH styles, which are still in abeyance, and that they "do not represent the sovereign" while out making public appearances. The guidance was sent under the King's instruction by his most senior official, the Lord Chamberlain, to offer clarity over Harry and Meghan's royal status after requests for guidance.
It was issued to those in government, the military and lord lieutenants up and down the country. The duke and duchess were said to be "surprised" by the formal letter and the couple, who are waiting to hear whether they will be given taxpayer-funded security, were said to prefer the term "public figures" instead.
King's schedule in the Bahamas
Meanwhile, today in the Bahamas, the King will sit down for talks with the prime minister and governor general during a busy second day of his royal tour. Charles will hold an audience with the Caribbean nation's premier Philip Davis and meet separately with Dame Cynthia Pratt, his official representative in the country.
His visit comes in the wake of renewed calls from Caribbean nations for Britain to apologise for its role in selling enslaved people for profit and for reparations. During his day in the capital Nassau, the King will meet the families of four Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Marines killed when Cuban MiG fighter aircraft sunk HMBS Flamingo in May 1980, after a dispute over illegal fishing.
He will lay a wreath at the Flamingo monument erected at the RBDF headquarters. Charles will end his day at a garden reception at Government House, where he will meet Bahamians who have made significant contributions to the country.
