Prince Harry has been dealt a second blow in the space of 24 hours after Buckingham Palace announced Prince William would be made colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps – Harry’s old regiment.

William will take over the position, which is currently held by King Charles, next week despite Harry having served in the regiment during his tour of active duty in Afghanistan in 2014.

The news comes hours after a spokesperson for Prince Harry said the King is too busy to meet him on his visit, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The Duke of Sussex arrived back in the UK yesterday afternoon and is set to give a speech at a thanksgiving ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral this evening.

Harry, 39, is not accompanied by his wife Meghan Markle, 42, or their children, Archie and Lilibet. It is also understood that none of his immediate family will attend the ceremony. 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 cancer diagnosis. Prince William is set to be made the colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps by King Charles in a second snub for Prince Harry.

The heir to the throne, 41, will be given the honour on Monday (13 May), Buckingham Palace has announced. According to reports, the honour would have likely passed to Prince Harry, 39 – a former Apache helicopter pilot who, unlike Prince William, personally served with the Army Air Corps in Afghanistan.

However, this was not possible after he stepped down as a working royal in 2020. Like Harry, William is also a trained pilot and previously worked as a search and rescue and air ambulance pilot. The news comes after a spokesperson for Prince Harry revealed that the King, 75, does not have time to see him on his current visit to the UK after he landed back on British soil yesterday (7 May).

A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex said: “In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme. “The duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”