King Charles expressed apprehensions about the unpredictable nature of Prince Harry well before his departure from the United Kingdom, consistently perceiving Prince William as the significantly more reliable and composed sibling, a royal expert claimed.
Prince Harry and King Charles are allegedly in a state of alienation, with reports suggesting that they have ceased communication, further intensifying their long-standing tensions. There was an expectation that the father and son were making progress in reconciling their differences, particularly after they had a meeting when Prince Harry quickly traveled to the U.K. upon learning of King Charles' cancer diagnosis.
According to Tom Quinn, the author of "Scandals of the Royal Palaces: An Intimate Memoir of Royals Behaving Badly," the problem is fundamentally ingrained and originates from the perception that Prince William has consistently been regarded as the more dependable Prince. Tom further explained that this perception has been prevalent since the teenage years of the royal family.
"Harry's real beef is that he is convinced Charles always preferred William anyway and not just because William is the heir. Harry’s difficulties when he was a teenager and his increasing volatility as an adult terrified Charles who turned to the far more stable, risk-free William,” Tom told The Mirror.
"Charles increasingly saw William as a safe pair of hands and Harry as too emotionally unstable. Deep down Harry knows this and he deeply resents it. The distance between father and son remains as large as ever with little effort being made on either side—and no reconciliation in sight,” Tom added.
There was optimism that the royal couple were beginning to mend their relationship, particularly after Harry hurried to the U.K. following the news of King Charles' cancer diagnosis.
Nevertheless, many weeks later, upon the Duke of Sussex's arrival in the U.K. for the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St. Paul's Cathedral, no encounter took place between the two individuals. Prince Harry insinuated that his father was too preoccupied to arrange a meeting.
However, those with insider knowledge of the Duke have recently asserted that Prince Harry's attempts to communicate with his father on his security arrangements are being ignored. The 39-year-old has been involved in an ongoing dispute regarding his security arrangements on his visits to the U.K. This issue arose after he forfeited his entitlement to police protection upon leaving the U.K. four years ago.
The Duke of Sussex's High Court case in February was unsuccessful, The Guardian. The court upheld the conclusion that the decision to reduce his taxpayer-funded police protection due to his non-working royal status was not illegal. He plans to challenge the High Court's security ruling. However, specialists anticipate that he will make the journey to the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027 without any companions.
