Royal news - live: King Charles ‘wasn’t invited’ to see Prince Harry as war of words erupts
Prince Harry and King Charles just missed each other after the Duke of Sussex flew into London for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games
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Prince Harry did not make a request to visit King Charles or invite him to the Invictus Games Foundation event when he flew into London, sources have claimed.
But the Duke of Sussex’s friends claimed he was left stung when his father didn’t request to see him but was able to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace - despite his cancer treatment.
“It’s all very sad,” said a friend of Charles, according to The Times. “While he was hardly going to roll out the red carpet the moment this Invictus trip was announced, with doctors advising him to focus on his treatment and recovery, the idea that he refused to find space in his diary…Well, let’s say recollections may vary once again.”
A friend of Harry’s hit back: “Could His Majesty not have made a request to see his son? It was widely known he was coming.”
The war of words came on a weekend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Nigeria, where the two spoke at the mental health summit with the local nonprofit the GEANCO Foundation, supported by the couple’s Archwell Foundation at the Lightway Academy in Abuja.
In pictures: Harry and Meghan visit state governor’s residence in Lagos
More pictures are coming in now of Harry and Meghan’s visit to Lagos in Nigeria.
The Sussexes touched down in Lagos earlier and were greeted with a traditional dance as they stepped off their plane.
Since then they have met with Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor.
ICYMI: Prince Harry urges children to ‘kick away’ stigma of mental health during Nigeria trip
Prince Harry urges children to ‘kick away’ mental health stigma during Nigeria trip
Prince Harry urged children to “kick away” the stigma around mental health as he was joined by his wife Meghan on a visit to a school in Nigeria. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their three-day trip on Friday 10 May, having arrived in the west African country at the invitation of the chief of defence staff. Earlier this week, Harry made a brief return to the UK where he celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games – but did not see King Charles. Harry and Meghan are in Nigeria for a whistle-stop tour to promote the games in Africa – and are expected to meet injured service people and attend sporting events and an evening gala after their school visit.
More organisations to be able to claim official portrait of the King
Hospitals, coastguard operations centres, job centres, universities, Church of England churches and other public institutions can now apply to have a free official portrait of the King.
They will be able to claim the free framed image from June 5 to mid-August as The King’s Official Portrait Scheme is extended to include more public institutions.
Full report:
More organisations to be able to claim official portrait of the King
Hospitals, job centres, coastguard operations centres and Church of England places of worship are among institutions being offered the photo for free.
Camilla grants first round of royal warrants to firms including Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason, the luxury department store, is among the first organisations to be granted a royal warrant by the Queen, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Camilla has appointed seven royal warrant holders which have also received the accolade from the King.
They include Cornwall-based sparkling wine producer and Shane Connolly, the florist for the couple’s 2005 wedding and their Westminster Abbey coronation.
Businesses holding a royal warrant , which is granted for up to five years, are recognised for providing goods or services to the monarchy, and are allowed to use the coat of arms of the royal they are associated with on packaging, as part of advertising or on stationery.
Harry and Meghan greeted with traditional dance as they arrive in Lagos
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arrived in Lagos for the final day of their Nigeria tour.
The Sussexes were greeted with a traditional dance as they stepped off their flight.
The couple watched the performance from a red carpet and were seen clapping along.
Watch: Meghan reveals ‘exciting’ family discovery as she encourages women to empower one another
Meghan reveals ‘exciting’ family discovery during Nigerian speech
The Duchess of Sussex has opened up about finding out she is partly Nigerian through a genealogy test. Meghan met with women in the West African nation on Saturday (11 May) and acknowledged Nigeria as “my country” during a speech. She said: “When I had done the genealogy and I found out about my heritage, the first thing I did obviously was call my mom because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it and I think, being African American and part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage, your background, where you come from specifically and it was exciting for both of us to discover more and understand what that really means.”
ICYMI: Meghan Markle reveals emotional exchange with daughter Lilibet: ‘I hung onto those words’
Meghan Markle has opened up about a touching conversation she recently had with Princess Lilibet on the first day of her whistlestop tour of Nigeria.
The couple arrived to a warm welcome in the country this morning (10 May) to begin a three-day tour as private citizens to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Full report:
Meghan reveals emotional exchange with daughter Lilibet: ‘I hung onto those words’
The Duchess of Sussex told schoolchildren in Nigeria: ‘As I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well’
Sussexes visit charity that works with Invictus Games
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited a charity that works with the Invictus Games.
The Sussexes attended an event at Nigeria Unconquered on Saturday - day two of their three day trip to Africa.
The duke also attended an event in the Armed Forces Complex in Abuja.
King still ‘wary’ about meeting Harry, friend says
King Charles is still “wary” about meeting Prince Harry after his son’s exit from the royal family and the “media circus” surrounding visits, a friend has said.
The friend also rubbished the idea that the monarch could not find time to see Harry on his short trip to the UK last week.
“It’s all very sad,” Charles’s friend told The Sunday Times. “While it is true that the King is understandably wary about meeting with Harry, given the publicity circus that seems to surround all such visits, he did of course agree to see his son at the most vulnerable moment of his illness [in February], and at very short notice.
“While he was hardly going to roll out the red carpet the moment this Invictus trip was announced, with doctors advising him to focus on his treatment and recovery, the idea that he refused to find space in his diary … well, let’s say recollections may vary once again.”
King agreed to Harry staying at royal residence for trip last week
The King reportedly agreed to a request from Prince Harry to stay in a royal residence for his trip to the UK last week.
Charles agreed because he was mindful that his son no longer has an official residence in the UK, The Sunday Times reported.
But Harry decided to stay at a hotel during his three-day visit, the paper said.
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