King Charles has concluded his whirlwind four-day trip to the United States, during which he and Queen Camilla attended engagements in Washington DC, Virginia, and New York. However, the monarch did not travel to the West Coast to see his estranged son Prince Harry or his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet.
Harry's relationship with his father remains strained, with the pair having met only a handful of times in recent years. Their last face-to-face meeting was in September last year, when the Duke of Sussex was in London for the annual WellChild awards. It had been established months before Charles's US trip that he would not see his son, daughter-in-law Meghan Markle, or their children during the state visit.
Former BBC royal commentator Jennie Bond believes Harry would have had conflicting feelings watching his father's highly publicised trip in the country he now calls home. She told the Mirror: 'I don't think it would have been any surprise to Harry that there was no opportunity to see his father during the state visit. But it must have been a rather surreal experience to watch his dad being feted in the country which is now Harry's home, and yet not to see him.'
Bond noted that Harry and Charles share many interests and passions, particularly in charity work. She suggested that Harry may have felt 'quietly proud' of the way Charles delivered pointed ripostes to President Trump's comments, especially on Ukraine and British service personnel. 'Harry stands united with his father on the need to support Ukraine, for example,' she said.
President Trump did not miss the opportunity to insult Meghan Markle during the visit, with whom he has a history of online sparring. Bond said this would have further antagonised the Sussexes, adding: 'Whilst the visit has undoubtedly gone some way to improving relations between the United States and the UK, it has done nothing to help the relationship between the President and Harry and Meghan.'
