The monarch looks set to travel to the United States in April to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, but will reportedly not travel to California to see his son and grandchildren
Prince Harry and his estranged father King Charles(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The King’s upcoming trip to the United States will not include a visit to California to see his son Prince Harry and his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet, according to US sources. Charles and Camilla look set to visit the States in April to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, with their tightly-packed schedule reportedly not having any room for a visit to Harry’s side of the country.
Charles and Camilla will reportedly spend just three days Stateside, with his official visit taking part on the East Coast of the country, where it is said he will spend time in Washington, New York and an unconfirmed third destination.
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King Charles is unlikely to see Prince Harry while Stateside in April (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
As a result, The Times reports that the visit is not likely to involve a flight to the West Coast to see Harry, Meghan and their children, as the relationship between the King and his youngest son remains strained after years of estrangement.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes that there will simply be no time for Charles to visit his son, given the hectic nature of an official state visit. Jennie previously told the Mirror : “State visits are incredibly busy. The schedule is worked out months in advance and is tightly packed with carefully curated engagements designed to enhance bilateral relations.
“There is very little downtime, and I can’t think that the King would fly across the whole country to visit Harry and his family in California.”
Despite the busy schedule, Jennie believes Charles would be desperate to see his grandchildren, as he has only met Lilibet once and Archie just a handful of times, but it is unlikely time would allow the reunion.
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King Charles will spend three days in the US in April, hosted by the US president(Image: AP)
She said: “I’m sure Charles would love to meet his grandchildren again, and so I suppose it’s conceivable that the Sussexes could take a flight to New York, or wherever the King and Queen are based, for a brief reunion.
“But visits like this are about as official as it can get, and it’s really not a time for patching up severely strained family relationships. A meeting would also inevitably draw the headlines away from the purpose of the visit.
“So I think it’s an extremely long shot that they’ll meet up in the States. Far more likely is that Harry and co will be encouraged to keep a low profile during the trip. “
The King’s trip, which has yet to be confirmed by Buckingham Palace, is to mark the 250-year anniversary of the founding of the United States, with the royal visit being a “major moment” in the run-up to the July 4 Independence Day celebrations, will reportedly be just half the length of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth’s bicentenary trip in 1976.
King Charles welcomed Trump to the UK for an unprecedented state visit in September last year(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The rumours of Charles’ outbound state visit came just months after the monarch welcomed the US President and First Lady to the UK on a historic visit, with Trump being invited on an unprecedented second visit after being hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth in 2019.
Trump began his state visit in Windsor in September, where he was met by the Prince and Princess of Wales, before being treated to a flypast and an inspection of the guards alongside the King.
The US president was then treated to a state banquet inside Windsor Castle, in which Charles and Trump both delivered speeches. At the banquet, Mr Trump described being welcomed for a second state visit as the “highest honour” of his life.
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