Prince Harry and his father, King Charles, have a turbulent past. While the king tried his best to raise his two sons after the death of Princess Diana, Harry, in particular, felt his father wasn’t trying his best. Now, after Harry and his wife Meghan left royal life and accused Charles and other royals of many things, the relationship between the father-son duo is at its lowest.
Harry hasn’t met his father since February when he jetted to his home country to see King Charles after he had received his cancer diagnosis. He returned once again in May to attend an Invictus Games event, but at that time, he didn’t see his father at all, and rumors have it that Harry even declined an invitation to stay the night at Buckingham Palace.
In recent weeks, reports have emerged that King Charles is no longer taking Harry’s calls. According to a royal expert, there is one crucial reason why their relationship is now in a “dreadful” state.
Prince Harry and King Charles’ relationship has deteriorated quickly. The fact that the Duke and his wife, Meghan Markle, left the royal family was one thing. However, as Harry began speaking out about his experiences while still a working member of the royal family and accusing his father and others of many things, it reached a whole different level.
Prince Harry – feud with the royals
King Charles is said to have been furious with Harry over his public comments about the royals. At one point, there were even reports that the monarch considered taking action.
In May, royal expert and author Tom Quinn claimed King Charles had been discussing stripping Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their titles.
King Charles and Prince William were said to have had “lengthy discussions” about stripping Harry and Meghan of their titles. However, Quinn stated that doing so also comes with a risk.
“They are terrified this would backfire and make the situation worse,” Quinn told the Mirror.
“The last thing they want is to give the renegade royals something else to complain about. William and his father know that even without their royal titles, Meghan and Harry would carry on travelling the world as if they were royals and most people in the world will still welcome them.”
The million-dollar question is what could mend the relationship between the royals and the Sussexes. Today, a truce seems very far away.
Prince Harry has had his fair share of disagreements with several family members, including his brother, who he claimed even physically confronted him at one point.
“Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare”
Meanwhile, the Duke’s relationship with his father has been troublesome for a long time. According to Harry, it began the day he was born, as it was claimed that Charles preferred it if he were a girl. The name of his book, Spare, was first altered by his father, the estranged prince claimed.
“‘Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare — my work is done,'” Harry wrote of his dad’s words.
“On the other hand, minutes after delivering this bit of high comedy, Pa was said to have gone off to meet with his girlfriend,” Harry said, referring to now-Queen Camilla. “So, many a true word spoken in jest.”
Life changed forever for Prince Harry and Prince William when their mother, Princess Diana, passed away following a tragic car accident in 1997. Harry was only 12 years old – and William 15 – when they lost their mother, and King Charles had to step up his efforts to raise his sons.
However, when Harry got the news of his mother’s passing, he didn’t feel like his father consoled him enough.
In his tell-all memoir, Spare, Harry describes how his father sat beside his bed and told him, “Darling boy, Mummy’s been in a car crash.
“There were complications. Mummy was quite badly injured and taken to hospital, darling boy,” Harry recalled his father saying. “He always called me ‘darling boy,’ but he was saying it quite a lot now. His voice was soft. He was in shock, it seemed.
Prince Harry & King Charles’ relationship
“With a head injury. They tried, darling boy. I’m afraid she didn’t make it.”
The prince further claimed that Charles put his hand on his knee, saying: “It’s going to be OK,” but that he “didn’t hug” him.
“Everyone knows where they were and what they were doing the night my mother died,” Harry stated.
Prince Harry grew up and began working as a senior royal family member. But today, we know it lasted only a short time. When he and Meghan Markle left royal life behind in 2020, the relationship with King Charles and the rest of the Firm slowly turned ugly. After all the things the Sussexes have said about them, King Charles is reportedly not interested in talking to his youngest son today.
The two had a brief meeting in February following the monarch’s cancer diagnosis, but since then, it’s been very quiet.
Just weeks ago, it took another turn when a source close to Harry claimed his father no longer takes his calls.
“He gets ‘unavailable right now,'” the source told People Magazine. “His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.”
“Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father,” another royal insider told the US outlet.
Prince Harry’s battle for UK protection
Harry has fought to get protection if he and Meghan would visit the UK with their children. The couple has said several times that without it, they wouldn’t feel safe bringing their children.
Last year, Harry challenged the Home Office over a decision to downgrade his security protection when visiting his home country. When Harry left royal life, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) stripped him of the right to automatic police protection in the UK. Moreover, the Duke’s offer to pay for protection was rejected because the British police force couldn’t be hired.
At a hearing, Harry’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima KC, read parts of Harry’s statement, in which he further explained how he fears for his children’s – and Meghan’s – safety if they return.
“It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020,” Harry’s statement read, reported by the BBC.
“The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil.”
The Duke added, “I cannot put my wife in danger like that, and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”
Prince Harry and King Charles’ relationship is “dreadful,” expert says
While the lack of protection makes Harry not want to bring his wife and children to the UK, King Charles is heartbroken about not seeing his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. A source close to the king even accused Harry of ’emotional blackmailing,’ adding that the Duke pretty much has threatened his father that he’ll never again meet Archie and Lilibet.
The source told the Daily Beast that Harry wants to pressure Charles to use his influence to help the Sussexes get increased security when visiting the UK—but whether it will ever happen is yet to be known.
The security issue surrounding Harry and Meghan’s possible return to the UK has been ongoing for a long time. And according to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, that subject has now worsened Harry and his father’s relationship.
Speaking on The Royal Record podcast, Fitzwilliams claimed the father-son duo’s relationship is “dreadful,”
“This is a very, very curious issue because when the Sussexes stepped back, only to step down as senior working royals, they knew they would lose automatic police protection,” he said. “Harry believes this was a wrong decision and that it was wrongly made. He’s sued against the Home Office. I mean, he was always going to lose that.”
Fitzwilliams added: “What is clearly emerging is that he believes Britain is dangerous. Now, that appears hypocritical when you look at, say, security in Nigeria, even if it was arranged by the defence minister. Or the security in Colombia, even if the vice president is arranging it, and the facts simply are that both countries are considered somewhat dangerous, certainly parts of them.”
Will Harry release a second book?
Richard Fitzwilliams continued, saying that the reports about Harry declining his father’s invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace for the night during his last visit and instead choosing a hotel “doesn’t make that much sense.”
“Would he bring Meghan, would she want to come, given the fact she’s so unpopular? Would King Charles meet his grandchildren again? Time will tell,” Richard Fitzwilliams concluded.
Harry’s book, Spare, escalated the royal feud and permanently changed his relationship with his family. But according to royal expert Jennie Bond, it could possibly become even worse.
Speaking with OK! Bond claimed that the estranged former royal might not be interested in making amends with his family at all. That could, possibly, in one way, point towards him releasing a second book.
“If Harry had really wanted to confront his family and patch things up, he would surely have allotted more time to his recent visits so that his father – at least – could make arrangements to see him,” Jennie Bond said.
“I don’t think there’s any chance of William wanting to do so, particularly with all he has on his plate right now,” Bond said of the brothers possibly burying the hatchet.
Reports of Harry possibly writing a second book began only days after Spare was published. Royal expert Tom Quinn argued that the decision to publish a second book would see an “end to Harry’s relationship” with his family.
Time will tell if that will become reality.
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