Prince Harry declines invitation to attend Prince Philip’s thanksgiving services only to fly out to the Netherlands — "slap in the face to the Queen"
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Fresh reports have revealed that the Queen did not learn of Prince Harry's intention to skip his late grandfather Prince Philip's thanksgiving services until only a quarter of an hour before the news was shared around the globe.
It was said, however, that a few weeks after it was reported that Harry declined the invitation to attend the thanksgiving services, he announced that he would be flying out to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games — an international sporting event founded by the Duke of Sussex himself, honouring and inspiring recovery to sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans, through sports.
Prince Harry declined the invitation to attend his late grandfather Prince Philip’s thanksgiving services only to schedule a flight to the Netherlands to attend the Invictus Games. Credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images.
Palace insiders have since perceived Harry’s decision as a "slap in the face to the Queen", according to Daily Mail's Royal Editor Rebecca English.
Speaking to Palace Confidential, Ms English said: "Within a couple of minutes of announcing that he would not be attending the Duke of Edinburgh’s service of thanksgiving, Harry’s team also announced that he would be attending the Invictus Games in the Hague in April, just a few weeks later."
"This has obviously surprised a lot of people… to travel to Europe to go to that, but not to his grandfather’s memorial service has, to use a well-worn phrase, got people’s goat. "
"They feel it is a slap in the face to the Queen and, again, another PR disaster as far as many people in the UK are concerned."
Prince Harry dressed up in orange for the advertisement of the incoming Invictus Games in the Netherlands. Credit: Twitter/InvictusGamesNL.
Meanwhile, The Mail on Sunday's editor-at-large Charlotte Griffiths said that there might be other "profound implications" in Prince Harry’s move other than disparaging the event.
She said: "There is that feeling that this could be one of the last chances he gets to see some of the older members of the family."
"It just feels so insensitive and so vitriolic and so pointless."
Other critics slammed the estranged royal, claiming that Harry may "have been gotten by the Californian goblins" as he was not his usual self.
Author and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop went as far as describing the Duke of Sussex as "not the Harry we know".
"This is our Harry, our military man, tours of Afghanistan – it doesn’t stack up. I’m like, oh my God, you’ve been got by the Californian goblins," she said.
"I feel like he’s living in a different world, he’s lost the sense of where we’re at. Maybe he doesn’t want to have a sense of it."
The video below shows the Sky News Australia hosts' commentaries on Prince Harry prioritising Invictus Games over Prince Philip's thanksgiving services
Credit: YouTube/Sky News Australia
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