Prince Harry "Snapped King Charles' Olive Branch in Half," Says Commentator

Prince Harry was recently in the U.K. and in relatively nearby Germany, and therefore sparked speculation that he would meet with his father and/or brother at some point amid his own commitments.

Unfortunately for smooth family relations, it has been reported that King Charles invited the Duke of Sussex to Balmoral in Scotland for the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death, but that the latter declined—a decision which one royal commentator is finding hard to get his head around.

"Charles has been criticized over the last few weeks for not doing enough to send out the olive branch and everything else," Charles Rae told TalkTV (via Express).

"Well, here he has. He sent out a huge great big olive branch and Harry has snapped it in half."

Rae continued, "He’s flown more than 5,000 miles to Britain to attend a fabulous charity and his dad says 'come up here' because that’s where the royals are… Charles is King, but he’s also a loving father, make no doubt about that Charles loves his boys equally."

Royal expert Ingrid Seward previously agreed with Rae's perspective, amid the first reports that Harry had refused the Balmoral invitation.

"For Harry, this was a missed opportunity," Seward opined. "He should have braved it out and gone to see them. If the King invites you to Balmoral, then most people would cancel all of their travel plans. He could have easily rearranged things slightly to allow himself the time."

Seward added, "Any attempts for a rapprochement must be on the King’s terms. I’m glad he is showing some backbone and offering this olive branch. But Harry must have known that not only the King but the whole of the royal camp decamp to Balmoral for the summer, and that was the only place he could go."

Harry's decision to decline his dad's attempt at a reconciliation has the potential to raise many eyebrows, in part because of a desire the duke expressed ahead of the release of Spare for their relationship to be repaired, and for Charles and/or William to make the first move.

"The door is always open. The ball is in their court," Harry told ITV at the time.

"There is a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it."

While Harry attended the King's Coronation in May, the two are not believed to have had a sit-down to talk things through. Perhaps Harry no longer wants one? I have no idea.