King Charles Was 'Bruised' by Prince Harry's Statement About Their Failed Meeting

King Charles and Prince Harry failed to reunite while the Duke of Sussex was in the U.K., and initially, their inability to meet was credited to a scheduling conflict. However, royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah shared a different side of the story.

"All the narrative from the moment he [Harry] touched down and we got that statement from Harry's spokesperson saying it's not possible for Harry to see his father, his father is too busy, he completely understands," Nikkah said on "The Royals with Roya and Kate" podcast. "That set the mood music for the whole week that Harry had said 'Pa is too busy to see me.'"

"I just thought something didn't feel quite right about this, so I dug away and dug away a bit deeper and found out that actually, Harry had asked if he could stay and Charles had said, 'Yes, come and stay son,'" she continued. "You come and stay in a royal residence, you are near where I am so it's going to be much easier for me to see you given what's going on with my diary and your diary."

The Duke of Sussex arrived at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday, May 8, but the royal family was noticeably absent during the event.

"And that turned everything on its head because the narrative from Harry that I wanted to see my father but he is too busy to see me, actually the reality was Charles said, 'Yes, please do come and stay in a royal gaff and that would make it much easier for me to see each other,'" Nikkah shared.

Before landing in the U.K., Harry confirmed that he wouldn't be with Charles while in his native nation.

“In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the duke will meet with his father while in the U.K. this week, it, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program," a rep said in a statement. "The duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”

According to Nikkah's costar Kate Mansey, Harry's comment about not being able to see his dad bothered His Majesty.

"Someone at the palace told me that the King was bruised by that statement that Harry put out, which all plays into exactly why," Mansey said.

"The clashing that still remains is that Harry let it be known that he absolutely did ask to see his father, he put in a request well in advance of coming, more than 28 days before the warning he gives to the Home Office for security, absolutely adamant that he did," she added. "Charles' camp says as far as we are aware, we didn't get a request. So still recollections may vary."

OK! previously reported an insider claimed the veteran was disappointed he didn't see Charles while in London.

“Harry is heartbroken and worried he’ll never see his father again," a source claimed.

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Former royal butler Grant Harrold was also surprised that Harry and Charles weren't able to make time for each other.

"I don't know why they didn't meet. To me, it seemed odd because obviously, you would have thought that when a family member is in a country, you would make sure you've made a point of going to make appointments with them," Harrold said on behalf of Slingo.

"The fact the King said he was extremely busy and yes, he was, he had a garden party in the afternoon, and it's possible that maybe his calendar was very full," he continued. "Sadly, I think it's a sign of how much things have deteriorated and shows you the relationship between them has obviously decreased further, and again, the same with Prince William."