Although King Charles didn’t manage to meet with Prince Harry when he briefly came to the U.K. last month, he is reportedly still keen to repair their relationship and end the royal feud once and for all.
According to The Mirror, King Charles is “desperate” to reconcile with his youngest son, but he is reportedly making things very difficult by refusing to compromise. This, according to royal author Tom Quinn, has left the 75-year-old monarch “at the end of his tether.”
King Charles Is Reportedly Keen To Reconcile With Prince Harry
"Charles feels he has made huge effort to repair his relationship with his son, but that Harry refuses to give an inch," Quinn told The Mirror.
"With that in mind Charles is changing his tactics," he continued, before detailing the monarch's new approach to dealing with his youngest son. "The new plan is to take a harder line with Harry; a move from good cop to bad cop, but palace insiders agree that Charles is at the end of his tether. He wants to be reconciled with his son, but nothing he does seems to work."
While we don't know what King Charles' plans are for his youngest son, the "bad cop" mentality makes sense after he bestowed the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps upon eldest son Prince William. This was quite a controversial move, and one which was seen as a "cruel snub" to Prince Harry, as it was always speculated that he would be the one with the title when the time came.
Quinn went on to speculate that Prince Harry's issues with his father are about so much more than what has happened over the past few years, in particular what has happened since he and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals in 2020. According to Quinn, the Duke of Sussex's problems go back as far as his childhood, in particular the fact that he never really bonded with his father when he was younger.
"One underlying problem is that Harry was never really that close to his father as a child," Quinn explained, adding that he was "looked after by staff and shunted between Diana and Charles." He added: "Harry has always looked lost and forgotten and it's too late now for his father to do anything about it."
The Truth About Last Month's Failed Attempt To Meet
There have been some developments following the news that King Charles' schedule was too full to meet with his son last month, which put the monarch in a negative light for snubbing his son. If you'll recall, Prince Harry's spokesperson issued a brief statement ahead of the Invictus Games event on May 8th and said: "It unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty's full program. The Duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."
However, according to newer reports, King Charles did allegedly want to meet with Prince Harry when he came to the U.K., and even offered him one of the royal residences to stay in. According to The Sunday Times, it was Prince Harry who refused both the meeting and the chance to stay in the royal residence, and he opted to stay in a hotel instead. This seems to fit Quinn's narrative of Prince Harry making things difficult.
"It's all very sad," a friend of King Charles reportedly told The Sunday Times last month. "While he was hardly going to roll out the red carpet the moment this Invictus trip was announced, with doctors advising him to focus on his treatment and recovery, the idea that he refused to find space in his diary... well, let's say recollections may vary once again."
