Prince Harry was reportedly "in tears" when he learned that Prince Charles had given Prince William the role that Harry would have been given had he remained an active member of the royal f

As Marie Claire reported yesterday, on the day of Prince Harry's arrival in England earlier this week, his father, King Charles, appointed Harry's brother, Prince William, as leader of the regiment to which Harry once belonged.

On Tuesday, the King announced that he was formally handing over to William the role of regimental colonel of the Army Air Corps, the regiment to which Harry belonged while serving in Afghanistan. A statement from Buckingham Palace reads, "His Majesty the King is formally handing over the role of Colonel of the Army Air Corps to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. "According to The Independent, if Harry had not stepped down as an active member of the royal family (in 2020 his wife Meghan Markle ), this role would likely have gone to Harry.

The timing of the announcement was iffy at best, and according to the Mirror, Harry was emotional and "in tears" when Prince Charles told him of William's appointment.

"The announcement that Prince Charles is stripping Prince Harry of his role as a colonel in the Army Air Corps is truly cringeworthy for a son who has always felt marginalized and undervalued," royal writer Tom Quinn told the Mirror. "What's even worse is that the role is being given to the person Harry believes is the cause of many of his problems: his brother. And this announcement was made deliberately during Harry's brief visit to the UK.

Quinn claimed that the senior royals knew that this announcement would "really hurt" Harry: "When he heard it, he is said to have burst into tears.

"But Harry needs to understand that betraying the family is not just about getting away with something he hated as an active royal. You also lose what you loved."

William is expected to take over the role soon, this coming Monday, May 13.

Harry is very proud of his 10 years of service in the British Army, including two tours in Afghanistan. Quinn added, "Harry feels that his time in the army was a rare and happy time in his life, judged not on its merits as a member of the royal family but on its merits as a human being. Harry, who has always been loath to be a spare in terms of succession to the throne, finds that one of the few important roles he had as a brother has been taken over by someone Harry himself described as his nemesis. Harry cannot help but get the message. His last tenuous connection to his old life is severed, and he is left adrift forever."

Royal experts Hugo Vickers and Arthur Edwards reported that the King could have made time to see Harry this week if he really wanted to, and Charlotte Griffiths reported that Prince Charles' final decision not to see his younger son this week There were reports that William (and Queen Camilla) were likely a factor in his decision.