King Charles reportedly denied Prince Harry an opportunity to flex his royal roots during his upcoming trip to Nigeria.
In a conversation with GB News, royal commentator Tom Bower claimed the Duke of Sussex wanted to have his photo taken with his cancer-stricken father during now-axed meeting.
He is believed to have planned to use the photo to show off his association with the royal family on his prospective tour of the African country alongside Meghan Markle.
However, the 75-year-old monarch saw through the Spare author, prompting him to refuse to meet altogether on his current visit to the UK.
"The King and his advisors have seen this for what it really is. It’s all about boosting the brand which is suffering terribly,” Bower told the outlet.
He continued: "The key is, Harry was desperate for a photo opportunity for the King so he could get to Nigeria and say 'I come here as a member of the Royal Family'.
"The King has denied him of that, and rightly so,” the royal author added.