UNACCEPTABLE: Prince Harry is desperate to be seen with his father – and Prince William is worried

UNACCEPTABLE: Prince Harry is desperate to be seen with his father – and Prince William is worried

While he understands his father’s desire to spend time with his Prince Harry, William does not want it to spill out into the public.

Prince Harry is desperate to see his father – but Prince William has other plans. (Image: GETTY)

Prince Harry is desperate to be pictured alongside the King at the Birmingham 2027 Invictus Games next year. It would mark a milestone moment for father and son after a tense and strained relationship following the Duke of Sussex’s decision to hurl furious attacks at the Royal Family in TV interviews, a Netflix documentary and his bombshell memoir Spare.

They’ve met a handful of times in private, including their most recent meeting with his wife and children at Highgrove House last month, but they haven’t been pictured together since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.

Harry’s desire for reconciliation is no secret; he speaks about it every opportunity he gets. But it would be a huge step for the King’s aptitude for forgiveness to be played out for all the world to see.

And are Harry’s motivations about repairing relations, or is there a more sinister reason? Some suggest that an appearance alongside the head of the monarchy could bolster his chances of receiving taxpayer-funded security in the UK. And a royal visit would undoubtedly provide a huge publicity boost to the Invictus Games.

More sceptically, it would help boost Harry’s own profile and put more royal credits in the bank for his wife to exploit and attempt to monetise.

Many behind Palace walls fear Charles is being manipulated by his youngest son, and is blinded by love, the desire to spend time with his grandchildren and move on from the bitter royal feud.

And nowhere is this felt more keenly than at Kensington Palace, as the Prince of Wales continues to have nothing to do with his brother – and is sceptical of Harry’s intentions.

While he understands his father’s desire to spend time with his son, William does not want it to spill out into the public and create another fanfare that’s best left to fictional TV dramas.

As a deeply loyal and protective man, he doesn’t want his family to go through any more hurt at the hands of Harry.

But you can bet that if the King decides it’s best to keep meetings with Harry private, the Sussex machine will spin it as a snub.

So this will be a tricky path for the King to walk down; does he follow his heart or his head? The good news is that there’s still just under a year to go until the Invictus Games arrive in Birmingham.

Whoever replaces Sir Clive Alderton, the King’s top aide who announced his retirement last month, will not be looking forward to the Harry conversation when he settles in at the Palace.

It won’t be an easy decision for the King, but I don’t think the public will blame him for not trusting his son and wanting to keep whatever relationship they had behind closed doors.