King Charles risks being labeled ‘petty’ after Prince Harry’s latest snub

Prince Harry's spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that there would be no meeting between King Charles and the Duke of Sussex, since the British monarch had a busy schedule.

Shortly after, Buckingham Palace announced that on May 13, Charles would join William in a joint engagement to formally transfer to him the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, previously held by Harry.

Newsweek's chief royal correspondent Jack Royston told Sky News on Wednesday that these developments could potentially damage the monarchy as Harry's esteemed veteran status remains highly regarded in Britain.

"I think it's very disappointing," Royston said of the news that Charles and his younger son would not meet during this visit.

"I also think the monarchy is at risk here of looking a little bit petty. Part of the reason for that is that on the very day that we discovered that Harry and Charles weren't going to meet, they also put out a news release advertising an event next week in which Charles is going to give William an accolade that 100% would have gone to Harry if Harry was still a working member of the royal family."

"Harry served in the Army Air Corps in Afghanistan," Royston continued. "He was co-pilot gunner of an Apache helicopter. And he fought the Taliban on the front line, putting his life at risk. Now, Charles for decades has been our honorary Colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps, he's now going to give that to Prince William."

"They announced the actual ceremony is going to be in front of an Apache—the very type of helicopter that Harry flew—William's going to be learning about the functioning of this helicopter that Harry knows how to fly. It's terrible framing, I think, and it looks very petty."

Prince William, a qualified helicopter pilot, served as a search-and-rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force for three years.

In 2015, William transitioned to become an air ambulance helicopter pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA).

The palace's handling of Harry's situation coincides with recent polling indicating increased popularity for Charles, Harry, and William in Britain since May 2023—a position the monarchy undoubtedly seeks to maintain.