The exact moment when Prince Harry’s relationship with King Charles and the rest of the royal family began to deteriorate is hard to pinpoint—whether it started with the release of his memoir, Spare, or when he moved to America is up for debate. However, according to those close to the royal family, the Duke of Sussex had believed that by now, the tension would have eased. Tom Quinn, author of Scandals of the Royal Palaces: An Intimate Memoir of Royals Behaving Badly, suggests that Harry expected to be forgiven for his actions, including the explosive Oprah interview and the memoir, with the hope that his father would apologize and the family would reconcile. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened.
“Despite all his criticisms, Harry always assumed he would be forgiven by his father,” Quinn shared with a private news outlet. “He believed that Charles would eventually make amends for the hurt that, in Harry’s eyes, justified his criticisms.”
Quinn further explained that while King Charles has maintained a calm public demeanor, not addressing Harry’s grievances, the situation behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace might be very different. Royal observers are aware that Harry visited his father earlier this year after Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis. However, during another visit to London to mark the anniversary of the Invictus Games, the two did not meet.
“Despite Harry’s public attacks on the royal family, his father has refrained from retaliating in public. But privately, King Charles is furious—so much so that he has reportedly started refusing to take calls from his son,” Quinn added.
While a resolution to the ongoing tension remains elusive, there may still be hope for reconciliation, particularly if Princess Beatrice has any influence. Insiders suggest that she might play a key role in mending the relationship between Harry, Prince William, and the other members of the royal family.
“Princess Beatrice could serve as a peacemaker between Harry, William, and Charles,” said Grant Harrold, King Charles’s former royal butler, in an interview with another private news outlet. “She is in a unique position of being close to all three—William, Harry, and the king—and they trust her. She could be the one to initiate peace within the family.
