Prince Harry issued a subtle statement to King Charles which suggested the Duke of Sussex wants to keep the door open to a future reunion.
Harry, 40, jetted into the UK from the US in May to attend a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral in London to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which he spearheads.
The Duke didn't meet his father during that trip despite King Charles being at Buckingham Palace. His upcoming visit to Britain has reignited talk of a possible meeting this time round.
Amid frenzied speculation ahead of the Invictus Games event, Harry's spokesperson issued a statement telling the world the Duke would not meet the monarch.
They said: "It unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty's full program. The Duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."
Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent, Jack Royston, commented on the statement's subtle crafting. He told : "It was a very delicately worded statement, and Harry isn't always delicate."
Mr Royston claimed: "Sometimes he's a bit of a bull in a china shop, but this was actually probably perfectly worded.
"It said just enough so that we all knew that it was Charles who had prevented the meeting or at least the palace side that had prevented the meeting, and that Harry had wanted to meet his father but it also did keep the tone warm and positive. So he said basically due to his schedule, but also got in there 'and other priorities'."
"But Charles did, in Harry's view, clearly have some other priorities but Harry didn't put the boot in. He didn't put venom in the statement. He just made sure people knew he had wanted the meeting, and it was the palace side who had stopped it from happening."
Harry is due to visit Britain at the end of September for the WellChild Awards in London. The Duke last visited the UK in August, when he attended the funeral of his uncle, Sir Robert Fellowes, in Norfolk, along with Prince William.
Reports suggest Harry and William did not speak at the funeral. Speculation about whether the Duke will meet his father during his upcoming trip to the UK was fuelled when the King, Prince William and Princess Kate sent him 40th birthday wishes on social media.
Mr Royston, writing in Newsweek, suggested the "apparent olive branch" sparked debate as to whether relations with the Royal Family are improving.
Harry's relationship with his father, brother and sister-in-law have been strained for several years since he and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, stepped down as senior working royals.
His bombshell memoir and the Sussexes' Netflix series Harry & Meghan levelled a series of allegations against the Windsors, including that the Duke was attacked by the Prince of Wales; that King Charles was jealous of the Waleses and that he and William urged their father not to marry Queen Camilla.
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have maintained a dignified silence in response to the Duke and Duchess's claims.
