The relationship between King Charles III and his younger son, Prince Harry, appears to have reached a new low, with the monarch reportedly "devastated" over the breakdown of their once-close bond, according to the King's former butler, Grant Harrold. The revelation comes as Prince Harry visits the United Kingdom for the 10th anniversary service of the Invictus Games, an event he founded to support wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women.
A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex confirmed that the father and son would not be meeting during Harry's visit, citing the King's "full programme" of engagements as the reason. The news has further fueled speculation about the strained relationship between the two, which has been the subject of intense media scrutiny since Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their roles as senior royals in 2020.
Speaking to GB News, Grant Harrold, who served as a butler for King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry from 2004 to 2011, expressed his concerns about the state of the royal family's unity. "I keep hoping as I've said before that this relationship will one day be fixed, but as time goes on I'm beginning to wonder if it's a relationship that's beyond repair," Harrold said.
The former butler also addressed the potential impact of Prince Harry's comments about Queen Camilla in his memoir, "Spare," in which he claimed that Camilla "sacrificed" him on "her personal P.R. altar" and called her "dangerous." Harrold said, "You can't put something in a book and make those kinds of comments and expect everything to kind of be fine."
Harrold expressed confusion over the current state of the relationship, saying, "It's interesting because, again, for me it's very confusing because I always thought that they all got on, that doesn't mean to say that those thoughts and feelings weren't there, it is completely possible, but it's just I never personally witnessed any of that."
Reflecting on the King's feelings, Harrold said, "I have absolutely no doubt that as far as that's concerned that he'll be devastated by the fact that that relationship is not how it used to be when I was there. The three of them were, I should say the four of them including the Duchess of Cornwall as she was, very, very close and to see and to follow what's happened over the last couple of years is even for myself, it's upsetting because they were very close."
Despite the apparent rift, a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex stated that Harry was "understanding" of the King's busy diary and his inability to meet this week. "The Duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon," the spokesman said.
Harrold suggested that the separation between father and son during Harry's UK visit could simply be a matter of scheduling conflicts, with the King having returned to his royal duties and his diary potentially being filled. However, he also noted that the absence of Prince William from the Invictus Games anniversary service raises questions about the broader family dynamics.
