RICHARD KAY: What an outrage that Harry’s scene stealing should come at the expense of his cancer-stricken father

Even the most swivel-eyed of Prince Harry’s devoted fans must have been taken aback by the timing.

Just as King Charles stood stiffly to attention in the Rome sunshine for the official welcome marking his first visit as monarch to Italy, the historic moment was being overshadowed by the arrival of his son at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Harry was in town for the last roll of the dice in his battle to win back official police protection for him and his family whenever they are in the UK. He was appealing against a judge’s ruling that the decision to downgrade his security was neither unlawful nor unfair.

What an irony, then, that this unheralded appearance – slipping unseen into Britain as he has done on frequent occasions over the duration of this and his many other legal cases – seemed to undermine his very argument that it is not safe for him to travel within the land of his birth.

There was no publicity of his departure from the US and his presence in London was only confirmed after his arrival.

But what an outrage that the scene-stealing should come at the expense of his cancer-stricken father.

If ever there was a more convincing demonstration of the two faces of royalty, this was surely it. As the Mail reveals today, just hours before embarking on the four-day state visit to Italythe King was in hospital for scheduled cancer treatment.

He flew by helicopter from Highgrove, his home in Gloucestershire, to London, landing at Kensington Palace from where he was driven to hospital.

Prince Harry outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London to appeal against a High Court ruling on his legal claim against the Home Office

There was no question of this hindering or even preventing the royal trip. When the treatment was completed, and after a period of recuperation, he returned to the Cotswolds before flying to Rome on Monday.

Yesterday, watching a joint flypast by an Italian aerobatic team and the Red Arrows, the King was the very example of selfless duty as he and Queen Camilla undertook a raft of official engagements alongside Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella.

And Harry? A 5,000-mile flight for a courtroom appearance that left some questioning the need for him even to be there. It was at the very least ‘a distraction’, a figure close to the King said.

Others were less circumspect. ‘Quite unnecessary,’ said one. ‘What was he thinking of?’

Over the past five years Prince Harry has said or written many outrageous and bizarre things about his family, the monarchy and the media.

But however ill-advised his outpourings have been, there has always been a glimmer of hope that the door was never completely closed and a reconciliation with loved ones, however remote, was still possible.

His conduct over the past few days is beginning to suggest otherwise. Officials already anxious that the Harry grievance show was once again upstaging the diplomacy of an important bilateral visit were understandably reluctant to say whether or not a request had been made by him to see King Charles.

‘It is an unwritten rule that when the monarch is on an official overseas visit, the rest of the family have a duty to avoid anything that grabs the limelight,’ says a courtier. ‘Has Harry forgotten everything about royal life?’

King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the Colosseum in Rome as part of their state visit

Father and son have not met since Harry’s flying visit to the UK in February last year after the King received his initial cancer diagnosis. But he has been back, jetting in to attend his uncle Lord (Robert) Fellowes’ funeral in Norfolk last August.

Charles’s medical bulletin explains why it would have been difficult for the two to meet on Sunday, even though they were, briefly, in the same city. But it also raises a question.

If he had indeed sought an opportunity to see his father, why did he not travel a day earlier?

Curiously, he had every reason to be in London 24 hours earlier anyway – the wedding of his friend, the PR guru Lord Vivian. Charles Vivian was one of the so-called ‘band of brothers’ photographed with Harry on the night of his wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018.

The prince was invited to the ceremony at Chelsea Old Town Hall but had declined. The reason, according to insiders, was that lack of official security