King Charles III's relationship with his youngest son, Prince Harry, has reached a new low, with the monarch reportedly feeling that Harry's latest actions are "unforgivable." The ongoing rift, fueled by years of public disputes and private grievances, shows no signs of healing, according to royal experts.
Royal expert Tom Quinn recently shared with the Mirror that King Charles has not seen his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, in over two years, and he currently has no contact with Harry, according to the Mirror. The strained relationship was further exacerbated by Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step down from their senior royal duties in early 2020 and relocate to the United States.
In the infamous Oprah Winfrey interview, Harry and Meghan made shocking claims about racism within the royal family, describing it as "unconscious bias." Subsequent revelations in their Netflix documentary and Harry's memoir, "Spare," included allegations of physical altercations with his brother, Prince William, and a lack of support from the royal family during Meghan's mental health struggles. These disclosures have only widened the divide between Harry and his family.
King Charles, according to Quinn, is privately furious with Harry but has refrained from publicly attacking his son. "Despite Harry's attacks on the royal family, his father has avoided responding publicly, but privately, King Charles is furious. He is now refusing to take calls from his son," Quinn revealed.
The King's absence from his grandchildren's lives is particularly painful. He last saw them in June 2022 during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Harry has expressed concerns over his family's safety in the UK, citing potential threats exacerbated by negative media coverage. "All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they've read," Harry said in a recent ITV interview. "And whether it's a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me."
Charles, known to be a devoted grandfather to Prince William's three children, believes that the well-being of Archie and Lilibet should take precedence. "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, which, in Charles' view, is unforgivable," Quinn added.
The legal battles Harry has faced in the UK, particularly regarding his security arrangements, have also strained relations. In February, Harry lost a High Court challenge regarding the downgrading of his taxpayer-funded police protection as a non-working royal. Despite this, he plans to appeal the decision but is expected to travel alone to the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, noted that King Charles' health further complicates any potential visit to California to see Harry's family. "It would be great to think that at some point soon the King would get to visit the grandchildren that he has seen very little of, but he is 75 and still not in the best of health. A visit to America is unlikely to be a high priority now, given the other demands on his time."
In a recent symbolic gesture, King Charles, alongside Prince William, undertook a rare joint engagement where he officially appointed William as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, a role Harry was once expected to assume. The ceremony, described by royal expert Duncan Larcombe as "a bitter kick in the teeth for Prince Harry," underscores the deepening bond between Charles and William, while highlighting the estrangement with Harry.
"The sight of William and his father so closely and visibly united today makes a striking parallel to the events of last week, where Charles went to great lengths to avoid being seen with Harry," Larcombe said. This move has been interpreted as a significant snub to Harry, who had a strong connection with the Army Air Corps during his military service.
