According to palace insiders, King Charles III has decided not to meet with his younger son Prince Harry during the Duke of Sussex’s current visit to London. The reason, as revealed to veteran royal correspondent Richard Eden, is that the 75-year-old monarch “doesn’t need the drama in his life” from his estranged son
According to Express, Harry had been widely expected to see his father this week while in the UK for events marking the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games foundation. However, the Duke’s newly appointed British spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that “it unfortunately will not be possible” for a father-son reunion due to the King’s “full programme” of commitments.
As Eden reports, friends of Charles and his wife Queen Camilla are unsurprised by this decision. “Harry and Meghan have brought him, and the rest of the family, nothing but worries over the past few years,” one told the Mail on Sunday columnist.
This is the first time Harry has visited Britain since making a brief appearance at his father’s Coronation in May, shortly after the release of his explosive memoir Spare. In the book, the Duke launched blistering attacks on Camilla, portraying her as a “villain” who left him as a “body in the street” in her efforts to rehabilitate her image.
According to Eden’s sources, Charles finds it particularly hard to forgive such hurtful comments about the woman he loves. One of Camilla’s closest confidantes, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, spoke last year of the “pain” caused by Harry’s words, saying: “Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts.”
The only meeting between father and son since Charles’ cancer diagnosis over three months ago lasted just 30 minutes. Harry had rushed to the UK from his California home following the announcement, but was soon heading back to the airport.
“In some ways, this might sound odd, but the cancer diagnosis has given His Majesty even more energy,” a friend told Eden. “He spent decades waiting to be King, of course, and realises that his time might be very limited. So, he’s determined to make as much difference as he can – as soon as he can.”
The King returned to public duties last week with a visit to a cancer centre, despite not having completed his own treatment yet. As the Queen revealed to a guest, Charles was “really thrilled to be out” but she had been “trying to hold him back.”
Palace insiders suggest there will be no rapprochement between the Sussexes and the royals until Harry and Meghan apologize for the distress they have caused through their highly personal criticism of the Family. According to Eden, the couple continue to insist in private that they are the ones owed an apology.
“Until Harry apologises for that hurt – at least in private, if not in public – meetings with his father might be hard to come by,” the article states.
So while Harry spent time meeting Invictus Games competitors and supporters in London this week, his hopes of reconnecting with his father appear to have been dashed, at least for now. As one source bluntly put it, the King views his younger son as “a painful distraction that he could do without” as he focuses on making his mark during what may be a limited reign.
According to royal biographer Robert Lacey, as reported by Eden, the painful family divisions mean it is highly unlikely Prince William would agree to his brother being welcomed back into the royal fold without a full apology. For now, the rift remains unhealed.
