Although King Charles has always made it clear that the door is open to his wayward son, it’s too soon for a reunion.
The fallout from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix series, his book Spare and the Oprah Winfrey interview, have left deep scars on the monarchy, and the wounds will take time to heal.
Quite simply, Charles’s priority is to recover from his cancer and resume royal duties as much as possible.
The last thing he needs is a psycho-drama with someone he no longer trusts, however much he loves him.
When Harry came over in February after the King’s diagnosis, he met him for under an hour, with some reports suggesting they talked for only twenty minutes with a protective Queen Camilla looking on.
Charles was at the start of his treatment and was told to meet as few people as possible to prevent getting an infection.
But now that he is teeing-up royal duties and shaking hands with the public, that excuse no longer holds.
The monarch may have a “full schedule.” But the idea that he couldn’t find time to see Harry if he wanted to is clearly absurd.
No-one expected William to meet his brother – I doubt they will ever make it up – but there were hopes the King and Harry could take a first step towards a reconciliation.
It will be fascinating to see how Harry is received at today’s Invictus Games service at St Paul’s Cathedral, where his parents wed in 1981.
The Games are Harry’s trump card and he deserves only praise for setting them up.
But it wouldn’t surprise me if there is the occasional boo when he arrives, so far has his star fallen in the UK.
Wife Meghan knows how unpopular she is and is swerving London to go straight to Nigeria where she will meet up with Harry for a sort of quasi-royal visit, possibly with their children Archie and Lilibet.
But however they are received in Africa, no spin doctors or slick PR people can hide the sad reality of where the royal soap opera is at the moment.
Deep down Harry must regret some of his past actions, but whether one day he returns as the prodigal son, only time will tell.
