- The Duke of Sussex reportedly invited the king to the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games
King Charles met David Beckham to discuss his charity foundation while Prince Harry was in the country, the Mail understands.
The duke had said his father was too busy attending to “other priorities” to see him while he was in Britain this week.
No photographs of the meeting were published and it is unknown where they met.
The revelation that the King met the former England captain, 49, while his son was at home and attending an event two miles from Buckingham Palace may further widen their rift.
Prince Harry’s visit was planned months in advance, and while the King’s visit this week to a barracks was called a “surprise,” his diary is also carefully choreographed.
But the Duke of Sussex had reportedly invited his father to St Paul’s Cathedral for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, although courtiers were unaware that Harry had made any specific request to see the king.
The King met David Beckham to discuss his charity foundation while Harry was in the UK, the Mail understands.
Prince Harry and Meghan in Abuja during quasi-royal visit to Abuja
The Palace has remained tight-lipped about why the two never met even though they practically crossed paths.
While in the UK, the prince said it was “great” to be back, but refused to rule out the possibility of him applying for US citizenship.
In a previous Netflix series, Harry had also suggested that he had been prevented from seeing the late Queen, despite his grandmother inviting him and Meghan to stay.
Harry rushed over in February when his father was first diagnosed with cancer, but only had a brief meeting with the monarch and Queen Camilla before leaving for Sandringham.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex and his wife received a rock star welcome during a trip to Nigeria.
Harry during his visit to Kaduna State in Nigeria. The prince has previously complained that he and his wife had been prevented from seeing senior royals, including his grandmother, the late queen.
Despite official advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warning against travel to various parts of the West African nation, Harry traveled to Kaduna state to visit a military hospital.
Leaving his wife in Abuja, the prince apologized for his absence when he arrived in the state, which is partly controlled by armed bandits and is known for reports of rapes and kidnappings.
The visit was called a “quasi-royal” tour, and Harry faced accusations of “hypocrisy” after traveling to high-risk areas and raising concerns about his safety in the UK.
On Monday, the King will hand over the position of colonel of the Army Air Corps to his other son and heir, Prince William.