Prince Harry a world away from King as events held just two miles apart
Prince Harry has marked the tenth anniversary of his Invictus Games with a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London.
The ceremony, attended by siblings of his mother Princess Diana, took place just two miles away from Buckingham Palace, where King Charles was hosting a garden party.
However, the father and son will not meet during the brief time the Duke of Sussex spends in the UK before heading home to California, with the monarch reportedly saying he is ‘too busy’.
A spokesperson for Harry said: ‘The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.’
Instead, he has filled his time in the country with a packed programme of events celebrating ten years of his sports event for wounded servicemen and women.
After arriving on Tuesday, the duke attended a summit at the headquarters of the Honourable Artillery Company near the City of London.
At this evening’s service in St Paul’s, he sat beside ex-Army officer Mark Daly, who acted as a mentor figure for the young prince after Diana died in a car crash in 1997.
Nobody from his father’s side of the family was believed to be among the congregation of around a thousand in attendance.
Harry is expected to read a passage from the Bible as part of the ceremony.
The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of St Paul’s, told the congregation: ‘We gather this evening to offer grateful thanksgiving to Almighty God for the work of the Invictus Games Foundation, and in this their 10th anniversary year, we celebrate the tremendous achievements of the numerous competitors across 23 nations.
‘We give thanks for the inspiring vision and compassion that formed the foundation and, chiefly, for the resultant decade of profound and transformational work.’
The first Buckingham Palace garden party of the year was the destination for most of the other senior members of the Royal Family today.
King Charles was joined by Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, and Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at the palace.
Around 8,000 other people were also in attendance at the event.
Meanwhile, Prince William was rubbing shoulders with Hollywood and sporting legends at a Windsor Castle investiture ceremony.
Film director Sir Ridley Scott and England goalkeepers Peter Shilton CBE and Mary Earps MBE were among those formally receiving their honours from the Prince of Wales.
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