The Duke of Sussex continued his five-day streak of solo UK engagements on Wednesday, conducting private meetings at the Royal Hospital Chelsea just a day after a major High Court defeat.
However, external press was completely barred from the historic central London venue.
While pool media coverage had originally been organised, plans were abruptly altered the day prior.
Prince Harry’s team attributed the decision to the current heatwave, explaining that a public-facing segment of the visit was scrubbed from the agenda due to soaring temperatures and the limitations of the heritage site’s old buildings.
Despite the ban, the duke is expected to allow pooled media to cover his remaining events this week.
The Duchess of Sussex was initially scheduled to join Harry at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Those plans were scrapped last week when it was decided that Meghan, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet would remain behind due to security concerns.
The private engagement followed a significant legal blow on Tuesday. While kicking off an Invictus Games appearance at Chatham House, Harry learned he had lost his lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
The Duke of Sussex conducted private meetings at the Royal Hospital Chelsea just a day after a major High Court defeat
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Judge Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed all claims brought against Associated Newspapers Limited by the duke and other high-profile figures, including Sir Elton John and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
Harry faced immediate backlash for his reaction to the verdict, after issuing a joint statement with Lady Lawrence that branded the ruling a “complete and obvious whitewash”.
Dressed in a dark jacket and an open-necked white shirt, Harry appeared relaxed and smiling as he arrived at Wednesday’s venue.
He was greeted by David Richmond (Invictus Games Foundation trustee and chief executive of the Royal Hospital Chelsea), former competitor Josh Boggi, and Richard Smith (Invictus’s deputy chief executive).
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Harry’s visit is part of the One Year to Go celebrations for the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 | INVICTUS GAMES FOUNDATION
During the visit, the duke attended a planning session with international team managers for the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, followed by a strategy meeting regarding the future of the movement.
He was later pictured smiling in the centre of a group photograph taken in a shaded area to escape the sun.
Later on Wednesday, he hosted private planning sessions for the upcoming inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards.
The King’s youngest son did not stay at Buckingham Palace after initially rejecting an accommodation offer for his family, later attempting to accept it for himself when it was too late.
Dressed in a dark jacket and an open-necked white shirt, Harry appeared relaxed and smiling as he arrived at Wednesday’s venue
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INVICTUS GAMES FOUNDATIONPalace sources indicated that appropriate staffing and hospitality could no longer be arranged at short notice, adding that the duke’s protracted legal battles had complicated the request and risked compromising the King’s constitutional position.
Elsewhere in London, King Charles opened the new British Transport Police headquarters and met with first responders from the Bedfordshire train crash.
Meanwhile, Queen Camilla spent her day at Wimbledon, where she was seen using an electric fan to beat the heat while cheering on British wildcard Arthur Fery during his straight-sets quarter-final victory.