Prince Harry celebrates Invictus Games anniversary as King hosts garden party a few miles away

Prince Harry celebrated the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games with his mother’s relatives, while his father hosted a garden party a few miles away.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, attended the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon, as the King and Queen welcomed guests to Buckingham Palace’s first garden party of the season.

Harry meanwhile was joined by Diana’s siblings, Lady Jane Fellowes and Earl Spencer, and former army officer Mark Dyer, who supported him after the Princess of Wales’s death.

The royal was inspired to found the global tournament after attending the Warrior Games in Colorado in 2013 and seeing how injured American military personnel thrived on the challenge of taking part in competitive sports that aided their recovery.

He went on to stage the inaugural games in London’s Olympic Park in 2014 and the tournament has been held across the globe from Orlando and Sydney to Dusseldorf in 2023, with the 2025 event being hosted in Vancouver and Whistler.

His wife, Meghan, 42, did not join him for the UK leg of his trip but is understood to travel with him to Nigeria on Thursday. Meghan has not been in the country since the Queen’s funeral in September 2020 and she chose to skip King Charles’s coronation in May of last year.

The monarch and his son have not met during Harry‘s brief UK visit due to the King’s “full programme” said Harry‘s spokesman in a statement.

There have been reports of issues of trust but the statement had a conciliatory tone and mentioned how the duke hoped to “see him soon”.

The duke appeared to face a second blow from Buckingham Palace on his short trip, as it was announced that the Prince of Wales would succeed King Charles as head of the regiment on Tuesday.

According to reports, the honour would have likely been given to Harry had he not chosen to step down as a working member of the royal family in 2020.

Both brothers are trained military pilots, however, Harry personally served in the Army Air Corps during his second tour of Afghanistan up until 2014.

“His Majesty the King will officially hand over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales,” the palace said in a statement.

The fifth in line to the throne has not been in the country since February when he met with the King for a flying visit following the monarch’s undisclosed cancer diagnosis, which was announced on 6 February.

Though relations between father and son seem rocky at the least, Charles and Camilla were all smiles as they were joined by the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester for their garden party.

The King returned to public duties on the first week of May after undergoing treatment for his cancer, and was in good spirits at his garden party as he laughed and joked with guests.

Around 8,000 people were in attendance for the party. Charles wore a grey suit and light blue waistcoat and tie, while Camilla wore a white silk dress by Fiona Clare and a hat by Philip Treacy, as well as a heart-shaped diamond brooch that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

One attendee who spoke with Charles said “God bless you”, while another remarked: “Good to see you looking well.”