Prince Harry and Meghan Markle came under fire for the “particularly inappropriate timing” of a statement about attending King Charles III’s birthday party next week.
A spokesperson for the couple refuted claims that they had snubbed an invitation and instead said they had not been contacted about attending the festivities at Clarence House.
The statement was issued mere hours before Charles III took centre stage at the State Opening of Parliament.
Royal experts took issue with Harry and Meghan’s decision to release their comment on the very same day – and with suggestions from one of their friends that the “snubbing” claim was leaked by the Palace.
A source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex alleged the report of them ignoring the King’s invitation could have been an attempt to distract from less-than-stellar coverage on Charles’s recent visit to Kenya.
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But Richard Fitzwilliam rejected the suggestion and hit out at the royal couple for trying to steal the spotlight from the King on a very important day.
He said: “When he opened Parliament today, King Charles paid tribute to the late Queen. It was a historic occasion, the first time a king had opened Parliament since 1950.
“The very same day, with particularly inappropriate timing, the Sussexes are back in the news. They deny a report in the Sunday Times that they turned down an invitation to the King’s 75th birthday. Harry, and insider tells us, will reach out to his father privately.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he added: “A source also suggested that the report was times to distract attention away from the recent trip by King Charles and Queen Camilla to Kenya. The King certainly performed a sensitive balancing act when visiting an important ally in Africa.
“The visit, however, has been regarded as a success and this attitude shows the level of the Sussexes’ sense of entitlement.”
And royal author Phil Dampier argued Prince Harry is not helping his case with such statements, noting that the King has repeatedly signalled he is ready to welcome him back into the royal fold.
Dampier also suggested the Duke and Duchess would face a rather “difficult atmosphere” back in the UK because of the many allegations they levelled against several senior members of the Royal Family.
He said: “The King has always made it clear that his door is always open to his wayward son and I’m sure if he wanted to come over for any celebration he would be welcomed.
“I’m not saying there wouldn’t be a difficult atmosphere, and William and Kate might find it hard to swallow.
“But Charles has always made it clear that long term he wants a reconciliation to the benefit of all concerned.”
He added: “If Harry wanted to mend bridges with his father and brother he could have done so when came over to Europe for the Invictus Games a few weeks ago but he didn’t make the time to see them.
“The ball is very much in his court and to say otherwise is ludicrous.”
