On the very same day, the King and Queen were in Cardiff for the ceremonial opening of the Senedd, at which Charles gave a speech. The Prince and Princess of Wales had also quietly visited Nansledan in Cornwall, a trip that only came to light in subsequent days.
A further clash arose when GQ released a filmed interview with Harry on the day senior royals were hosting the Sultan of Oman for a state visit at Windsor Castle. Sources close to the Sussexes stressed that the magazine alone decided when to publish the piece, which had been recorded in late September.
Addressing the broader pattern, the source told The Times: “Harry doesn’t set out with an intention to try to pull focus or draw attention away from what his father is doing or what his brother is doing. That’s never his intention at all, but obviously for him to be able to mitigate against that he does need to have decent foresight of what’s coming up. He definitely will take it into account.”
The source acknowledged that Harry is aware of major forthcoming royal commitments. “Obviously with the King going to Chogm and the Prince and Princess of Wales going to India, he knows about those things, and he is obviously mindful of that as he’s planning his own activities as well,” they said.