It’s no secret that Prince Harry hasn’t seen his father, King Charles, in a very long time. The estranged prince has been at odds with the Royal Family following all he said about them, both in interviews and in his book, Spare. In recent months, however, rumors about a possible royal return for Harry have been on the table, making for interesting reading indeed.
Harry and Meghan have been widely criticized for not letting their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, see their UK family. Concerns over security are what Harry and Meghan cite as the main reason, and one that doesn’t look like being sorted anytime soon.
But now, with 2024 coming to a close, it appears that the tables may have turned. According to royal expert Jennie Bond, Prince Harry’s decision not to add any new details in a newly-released paperback version of Spare could mean that he is now in the driver’s seat. What’s more, the fact that he might sue the UK government could lead to an ‘awkward’ reunion with his father.
Prince Harry and King Charles‘ relationship deteriorated quickly when the estranged prince decided to speak out about his family in an Oprah Winfrey interview about a year after he and Meghan Markle left the Royal Family. Things hardly got better when Harry released his tell-all memoir Spare in 2023. From Charles’ perspective, the fact that his son wrote about Queen Camilla in Spare is said to have left him furious.
It was the final straw for the king – and what once was a close-knit relationship between father and son was no more. In July earlier this year, a source close to Harry claimed his father no longer took 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.”
King Charles ‘won’t answer’ when Prince Harry calls
Charles reportedly doesn’t want to answer the phone when his son reaches out. Not only that, but there are even harsher rumors about how little he wants to speak with his son. Speaking with the Mirror, royal commentator Emily Andrews claimed King Charles reacts harshly whenever an aide approaches him with a phone to inform him that Harry is on the line.
“Now, even his own father is not taking his calls. I’m told that when courtiers bring the phone to the King (Charles doesn’t have his own mobile phone) he waves them away in irritation,” she told the Mirror.
“This is not because there’s been yet another falling out,” Andrews added. “Rather, it is thought to be because Harry wants to continuously discuss his ongoing battle for security, which he has been fighting in the court for four years and believes Charles has the power to reinstate.”
It’s well-known that Harry and Meghan have decided not to travel to the UK due to ongoing security concerns. The couple feel that they and their children aren’t safe with the current plan in place, which includes them having to pay for security themselves and prevents them from receiving any security assistance from the Royal Family.
According to People, Harry has prepared to appeal a court ruling that upheld the decision denying him security in the UK. An insider told the US news outlet that Harry wants to reinstate his security, which in the long run would mean more flexibility when he, his wife, and their two children visit the UK.
“Harry is frightened”
Meanwhile, a royal expert suggested that Harry could even sue the UK government, which could lead to an awkward reunion between him and his father. But we’ll get to that in a bit.
According to a royal insider speaking to People Magazine, whether Harry and his family get security when visiting the UK will play a crucial role in the Duke’s relationship with his father.
“Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father,” the source told People.
Sadly, there is one main reason why Charles won’t entirely cut off all communication with his son: his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The Sussexes have been accused of ’emotionally blackmailing’ King Charles by not letting him see his grandchildren, and there’s been little to no progress made when it comes to Harry getting the decision to strip him and his family of his UK security reversed.
However, a new development is reportedly in the works. Not long ago, Prince Harry released the paperback version of his tell-all memoir, Spare. Prior to its release, there was speculation that he might possibly add new explosive claims that didn’t make the first edition. Ultimately, the same material was released.
Royal expert says Prince Harry has put King Charles in “legal jeopardy”
This, according to royal expert Jennie Bond, could mean that Harry is now in the front seat regarding who is responsible for the bad relationship with the Royal Family.
“It would be lovely if the New Year could bring some movement in the rift between Harry and the rest of his UK family. But it’s hard to see how that’s going to happen, particularly while Harry insists on pursuing his court case against the Home Office about security,” Bond told OK!.
“This puts the King in real legal jeopardy. He really can’t be drawn into any discussion with Harry about a legal dispute with his own government. So it makes any potential meeting extremely awkward.”
Not long ago, Harry and Meghan bought a property in Portugal, which allows Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will be closer to their UK family and opens up the possibility of them reuniting with Charles.
“Harry obviously wants his kids to experience life a little closer to the UK, hence the purchase of a property in Portugal, but it still looks like a lot more water has to flow under the bridge before there can be any prospect of the King and William patching things up with Harry,” Bond concluded.
However, Meghan Markle’s concern for her husband’s future has reportedly grown as they have bought a home closer to the UK. A source told Closer that Meghan is “deeply concerned” that the royals “might manipulate” Harry into returning to the royal fold.
Prince Harry “pulled back” into “old bit of his life’”
“Now, if it is deemed safe from a security standpoint, it’s likely she’ll give her blessing for Harry to take Archie and Lilibet to see their grandpa, King Charles, at some point,” the insider said, per The Sun. “And in terms of logistics, having a place in Portugal will make that easier, because Meghan can fly over with the kids without feeling trapped.”
In recent months, news outlets worldwide have reported rumors about Harry possibly wanting a return to royal life. Accompanying those reports have been rumors that Harry and Meghan’s marriage is facing issues, especially as the Sussexes have gone separate ways when it comes to their business ventures.
The court cases about reinstating he and his family’s security in the UK is still ongoing. According to expert Roya Nikkah, royal editor at the Sunday Times, the fact that Harry will repeatedly have to reflect on and talk about his old royal life in connection to the court cases means he’s been doing a “fair amount of looking back.”
“I think we may see him back at the beginning of next year, which sort of pulls him back into . . . an old bit of his life that was very difficult for him,” Nikkah told the Mirror.
“But he loves his family life out in the States. He’s thrilled to be a dad . . . I suppose for him, it’s just finding a role, a really meaningful role going forward… The Invictus Games is fantastic, and he does great work there and that will continue. But I think for him going forward, it’s . . . [finding] a meaningful world for himself living out in the States on the global stage.”
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“They’re estranged,” she said. “They don’t speak, that’s my understanding. They haven’t spoken for more than two years, sadly.”
Only time will tell if Prince Harry will ever make amends with his father, brother and the rest of the Royal Family. The Sussexes are said to only be in contact with Princess Eugenie, who’s also the only royal to have visited the couple and their children at their home in Montecito, California.
Although Harry’s relationship with his father is bad, the one with his brother, Prince William, is even worse. The brothers, who grew up together and played a very important role in each other’s lives after their mother passed away, haven’t spoken for years. It appears that a reconciliation is a long way off.
However, William could be the key to whether Harry and the Royal Family ever make amends. Speaking on Hello! Magazine’s podcast A Right Royal Podcast, expert and royal biographer Robert Hardman said William has to be involved for any reconciliation to become a reality.
“You had both of them [Harry and Charles] in London at the same time doing stuff, and people were saying, well, why can’t they talk? Why can’t they get together? And the reasons are complex, but they’re interesting,” Hardman said.
“The poor guy’s trying to get through his cancer treatment”
“The first one is simply stress levels. People around the King know that if he does sit down with Harry, Harry’s got an enormous amount he wants to unpack, a lot he wants to talk about and get off his chest. And that kind of conversation is going to be a potentially heated one. And the view is, now is not the time with the King. The poor guy’s trying to get through his cancer treatment. So that was one reason.”
The royal expert concluded: “Another reason was that any discussion between the king and Harry has also got to involve William. You can’t have the King and his younger son having a sort of bilateral, some sort of agreement, without Prince William having a say in it, because, ultimately, he’s going to be taking charge one day. And that relationship is obviously a rather more complex one.”
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