Prince Harry goes alone to the cathedral in London and will not meet Charles

Prince Harry made a rare public appearance in the UK on Wednesday as he attended a thanksgiving service to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, with his strained relationship with his family dominating the attention.

Harry, 39, the youngest son of King Charles who now lives in California with his American wife Meghan and their two children, has distanced himself from other royals after criticizing both them and the institution itself in his recent memoir, interviews and TV documentaries.

Although he flew in to see Charles for a quick meeting after Buckingham Palace revealed the 75-year-old king had been diagnosed with cancer in February, the father and son will not meet on this new trip.

“Unfortunately this will not be possible due to Her Majesty’s full programme,” said a spokesperson for Harry, the Duke of Sussex. “The Duke, of course, is understanding of his father's diary of engagements and various other priorities and looks forward to seeing him soon.”

While Harry was at London's St. Paul's Cathedral for the Invictus Games service, the King was hosting the first annual garden party at Buckingham Palace, accompanied by other senior royals. The monarch was also expected to participate in an engagement at a military training base on Thursday (8).

This meant Harry was the only royal figure in the cathedral for the gathering to celebrate the international sporting event he founded in 2014 for military personnel injured in action.

Harry, who arrived alone, smiling and waving to a crowd outside, went to give a reading, with actor Damian Lewis reciting a poem to the congregation, which included wounded veterans and military personnel.

After leaving the UK, Harry will be joined by his wife Meghan, who did not come with him to London, for a visit to Nigeria.