Over the last few years, Prince Harry’s relationship with his father, King Charles, has become one of the most complicated and talked-about family issues in the British royal family. Many people think their growing distance is because Harry and Meghan stepped away from royal duties, but the real reason for their silence goes much deeper.
Prince Harry’s growing rift with King Charles
ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/East News
When Harry, 40, returned to the UK in May for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, a significant event, King Charles was notably missing. The two didn’t meet during this visit. The palace sources said it was due to the King’s “full schedule.”
However, insiders close to Harry feel there’s a bigger reason behind the King’s absence, as Harry wanted to discuss his years-long battle for family security, a fight he believes Charles could help with but hasn’t.
Long-standing tension between father and son.
NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP/East News
Since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, there has been a public rift filled with unresolved issues and occasional sharp criticisms. But, security concerns have been Harry’s most pressing worry.
Despite a hopeful meeting in February following Charles’s health issues, communication between the two has since worsened. Harry reportedly struggles to reach his father, with his calls going unanswered, including attempts to check the King’s health.
According to friends, Harry is deeply worried about his family’s safety and has sought help from his father on multiple occasions. A close source explains that Harry feels only Charles can address his security concerns, as he remains determined to protect his wife, Meghan, and their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, at all costs.
Harry’s fears arose from negative publicity.
In a recent documentary, Tabloids on Trial, Harry expressed his fear over negative press coverage of his family. He highlighted that even one “lone actor” could pose a real threat, which is why he has been hesitant to bring his family back to the UK. He had offered to personally pay for additional protection, but this request was declined in court.
The lack of resolution has created a bitter standoff. While the King has no governmental authority over the decision, Harry still believes Charles could influence the matter. Meanwhile, friends of Harry say the situation has reached “complete silence” from the King, who no longer engages with Harry on the topic.
Why King Charles is hesitant to help Prince Harry, according to insiders.
Insiders believe Charles fears a repeat of past events, recalling how Princess Diana’s public life outshined the monarchy after her separation. Charles worried about his son leaving with Meghan, feeling it might overshadow his own work. Harry and Meghan have cited security as a primary reason for their departure, as Meghan had faced significant press negativity and a lack of support from the royal family.
Harry’s life in the U.S.
Living in California has allowed Harry and Meghan to secure private protection. Since moving, they have also pursued various projects to support themselves financially, including Harry’s memoir, Spare, and the Netflix series Harry & Meghan. Despite all efforts, people close to the palace believe Harry’s public disclosures have strained trust with the royal family, particularly with Prince William, who sides with their father.
Friends of Harry believe that if his security needs were met, he would feel no need to speak out publicly or write about his experiences. They say he longs to rebuild his relationship with Charles. At the end of the day, as one friend puts it, “bloodlines can’t be undone.” Harry is only asking for security because of threats, not for material comforts.
Preview photo credit NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP/East News
King Charles Not Answering Prince Harry’s Calls Goes Beyond Wanting Security
Experts say it’s getting personal.
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After news broke that King Charles isn’t taking calls from Prince Harry and that the “royal rift” happening between Harry and his brother, William, isn’t getting any better, royal insiders are saying that the royal family is doing the only thing it can by ignoring the Duke of Sussex. Author Tom Quinn told The Mirror that because of royal decorum, that signature stiff upper lip, and wanting to keep things from getting even worse, King Charles’s lack of public comments is the only thing that he can do as a father and a monarch.
“Despite Harry’s attacks on the royal family his father has avoided responding by attacking his son publicly, but privately, King Charles is furious. So much so that he is now refusing to take calls from his son.”
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During a recent interview with ITV, Harry explained that all he wants is a security detail for his family if and when they visit the U.K.
“All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they’ve read. And whether it’s a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country,” he said of the dangers that could come his way when he’s in the United Kingdom.
Apparently, security is too much to ask for and it’s what’s keeping him from having everything with his family go back to the heyday of the Big 4 and all those happy smiling photos of the Cambridges and Sussexes together on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
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Charles is even more annoyed because he sees Harry keeping his family in the United States as a “bargaining chip.” Quinn says that Charles desperately wants to see his grandchildren and that Harry keeps them away to get what he wants.
“Charles believes Harry should let bygones be bygones for the sake of Archie and Lilibet, but he senses that access to the children is being used as a bargaining chip and that, in Charles’ view, is unforgivable,” Quinn noted.
Princess Kate will likely send an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this Christmas, according to a former royal staff member.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are thought to not be on speaking terms with the Prince and Princess of Wales since they stepped back from official royal duties in January 2020.
Princess Kate spoke of forgiveness in a handwritten letter she shared ahead of her annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey, seen as a olive branch to Harry by some royal fans.
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King Charles’s former butler, Grant Harrold, suggested that Princess Kate could contact the Californian-based couple and possibly have a FaceTime call with them over the Christmas period.
Princess Kate will likely send an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this Christmas, according to a former royal staff member
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He said: “I believe that Catherine will reach out to Harry and Meghan and wish them a Happy Christmas and I think Harry and Meghan themselves will possibly reach out.
“The thing about Christmas is that it’s all about goodwill to others, letting bygones be bygones, forgetting the past, moving into the new Year.
“So if there’s any point in the year that the families are going to communicate or touch base, it’s going to be over Christmas – there’s something magical about Christmas that gets families back together.
“I’d like to think that they will all be communicating, whether that is done by text calls or FaceTime – I’d like to think FaceTime, but that’s something we will never know.”
Meghan and Harry’s final Christmas at Sandringham was in 2018, when Meghan was pregnant with Prince ArchieGetty
He added: “I like to think deep down that things are moving in the right direction.
“I have a feeling that they are. I really do think they are, but that’s just my personal feeling.”
This year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were reportedly not invited by King Charles to Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where the Royal Family traditionally spend Christmas.
They will remain in California for the holiday season this year with their two children, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
The Duke and Duchess of York and their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, are also expected not to join the King and Queen at the royal residence.
Harry and Meghan last spent the day in the UK back in 2018.
King Charles and the Princess of Wales were both diagnosed with cancer, while Queen Camilla has recently been battling the lingering effects of pneumonia.
The Sussexes released their annual Christmas card where they wished “a very Happy Holiday Season and a joyful new year.”
King Charles’s Framed Photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Hint at a Reconciliation
The monarch has a sweet tribute to his son and daughter-in-law at Highgrove House.
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Despite the ongoing royal rift between Prince Harry and Prince William, it seems their father, King Charles, still has a soft spot for his youngest son and his wife, Meghan Markle. According to an influencer who attended a holiday event at Charles’s Highgrove House, the royal actually has two photos of the Sussexes on display: one featuring Prince Harry, his brother, and his dad, and one of Harry and Meghan’s 2011 wedding.
“It feels like you’re sitting in His Royal Highness’s living room,” the influencer, Lydia Millen, said. “I love the family photos—such an organic and authentic touch.”
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The wedding photo reportedly selected by King Charles for display in his countryside estate includes the entire royal family. It’s one of the few times that Kate Middleton and Prince William have posed with the Sussexes for a family photo, and given the rift, it feels unlikely that another photo opp like this won’t be happening anytime soon.
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The revelation that the king has not, in fact, completely shunned his son and daughter-in-law comes on the cusp of yet another Sandringham Christmas that will not include the Sussexes. Harry and Meghan have not spent the holidays with the British royal family since 2018. They moved to California in June 2020 and relations have further deteriorated since then.
That said, if anyone in the royal family is feeling optimistic about a brighter future with the Sussexes, it’s King Charles.
“There is more warmth between Harry and Meghan and Charles than other family members,” Royal biographer Omid Scobie said while promoting his new book, Endgame. “And that has grown since they’ve left the country. It’s taken a long time to get there.”
Although Harry and Meghan won’t be spending the holidays with the royals, former royal butler Grant Harrold seems to think that the prince’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton could reach out to wish the a couple a merry Christmas. “I believe that Catherine will reach out to Harry and Meghan and wish them a Happy Christmas, and I think Harry and Meghan themselves will possibly reach out,” Harrold said in an interview with GB News. “The thing about Christmas is that it’s all about goodwill to others, letting bygones be bygones, forgetting the past, moving into the New Year.”
