Prince Harry's Silence During King Charles' Big Weekend Speaks Volumes
Fans saw much of the royal family reunited this weekend in honor of Trooping the Colour. The event has occurred annually in June to publicly celebrate the birthday of the monarch since 1748 (regardless of their actual date of birth — King Charles III will turn 76 on November 14). This was Charles' first Trooping the Colour celebration since he began undergoing cancer treatment in February. He was joined by Catherine, Princess of Wales, who is also undergoing cancer treatment and finally returned to the public eye after a six month hiatus to honor her father-in-law. Beyond the gravity of the day for Charles, it was also the day before Father's Day. Yet, the importance of the weekend wasn't enough to bring the entire family back together. Charles' younger son, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex was not only a no-show (he and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, were reportedly snubbed by the royal family and not given an invite) but he also stayed quiet while his brother gave his dad a public shoutout.
It surely didn't surprise royal fans that Harry didn't show up to this year's Trooping the Colour as he and Meghan haven't attended a Trooping the Colour celebration since Queen Elizabeth II's last one in 2022. Harry reportedly hasn't even seen Charles since he flew to the U.K. to visit his dad after the palace announced Charles' cancer diagnosis four months ago. Yet, Harry's silence on his dad's milestone weekend hints at just how deep the father-son feud runs, and it was further highlighted by William, Prince of Wales' Father's Day Instagram post.
Charles' relationship with William highlights his estrangement from Harry
On June 16, the day after William, Prince of Wales, was front and center with his family on the Buckingham Palace balcony following Trooping the Colour, he took to the official Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram account to share an adorable photo in honor of King Charles. The 40-year-old image shows the almost 2-year-old prince playing in the grass with his dad and was accompanied by the words, "Happy Father's Day, Pa. W." Despite the post's sweetness and simplicity, the comment section was overwhelmed with comments about Charles' other son, with folks asking "Where is Harry?" and reminding others that Charles "has two sons." Clearly Charles and Harry's estrangement is at the top of many royal fans' minds when they are reminded of the king's apparent close relationship with William. And, this was surely made worse by Harry's choice not to publicly mention his dad on Father's Day.
The public clearly doesn't know what goes on with the royal family behind closed doors . Consequently, we don't know that Harry didn't reach out to Charles, at all, ahead of Trooping the Colour or give him a call on Father's Day. Yet, through his behavior and the myriad revelations in his memoir, "Spare," Harry has made it clear that he prefers to live his truth and express his feelings honestly, regardless of the repercussions in the public eye. And, it seems that his behavior this weekend was no exception to this.