(Fox News) Prince Harry was hit with two major blows during his return to the U.K.
Just after learning that he would not be able to see his father due to the king’s busy schedule, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday that Harry’s brother, Prince William, will be made colonel in chief of the Army Air Corps. The Prince of Wales is succeeding King Charles III as head of the regiment.
The U.K.’s Independent noted that it’s likely the honor would have been given to Harry, if he hadn’t stepped down as a senior member of the royal family, because he served with the unit in Afghanistan. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Prince William will be made colonel in chief of the Army Air Corps despite the Duke of Sussex having served with the unit in Afghanistan, the U.K.’s Independent reported. (Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images/File)
“It is one slap in the face after another for Harry,” royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital about the announcement, which some U.K. outlets have described as another “snub” for the prince.
“I think this is a mistake,” said Pelham Turner about the king not choosing to meet with his son ahead of the bombshell news. “Patronizing reasons like Harry might spill the beans on a conversation in any future book … are not justified and will only add petrol to the flames. Charles … [was] touchy feeling, holding hands with cancer victims but cannot stretch out to his son.”
Prince William is heir to the British throne. (Ian Forsyth/Getty Images/File)
“Taking away another military regiment … means nothing to the British public,” Pelham Turner said. “But it does to Harry. [It’s] the regiment he served in until 2014. Giving it to William will only further highlight the churlish divisions and not show a forgiving nature. … On a day when Harry is at an event to celebrate the Invictus Games … I wonder what the recipients … think of the betrayal.”
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, leaves the Invictus Games Foundation 10th anniversary service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on May 8, 2024. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation)
Harry, 39, arrived in London without his wife, Meghan Markle, by his side. The prince joined a panel on Tuesday for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The discussion, “The IGF Conversation: Realizing a Global Community,” aimed to highlight service personnel and their families.
Then on Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex appeared at St. Paul’s Cathedral for a service commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, greets the public while leaving the Invictus Games Foundation 10th anniversary service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on May 8, 2024. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation)
On that same day, Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, welcomed thousands of guests to Buckingham Palace for the first garden party of 2024. The festivities are a longstanding tradition that dates to the 1860s. Other members of the royal family, including Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, were in attendance.
