Just some years ago, King Charles couldn’t possibly have imagined that he would have had a son living on the other side of the globe.
The feud with Harry and Meghan Markle has grown more intense by the day, and things escalated when the Duke released his book in 2022.
Even though Harry has been back in the UK a few times in the last few years, Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have not been with them. The Sussexes have reportedly stated that they fear for their children’s safety if they bring them to the UK, and Charles is heartbroken not to be able to see them.
While Harry and his father appear to be trying to find a way back to each other, a new claim gives worrying details about what Harry and Meghan are trying to do. The couple is accused of using their children to “emotionally blackmail” the king.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new life in the US didn’t precisely end up as “private” as they were thought to would have liked. Their interviews with Oprah and other media, their Netflix series, and Harry’s book Spare sent their relationship with the royal family down the drain.
Prince Harry
The Duke is not speaking with his brother, Prince William, and his father is more than disappointed in his actions. Meanwhile, it’s been reported that King Charles wants to do everything he can to better the relationship, not least because he wants to reunite with his grandchildren in the US, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
King Charles has met Archie only five times and Lilibet just once. He is reportedly “heartbroken” over the non-existent relationship with his grandchildren, but according to royal expert Tom Quinn, the monarch has considered changing that.
He told the Mirror earlier this summer that Charles “has had discussions” about traveling to America to visit Harry and his family “at some time in the future.”
“There is no doubt if it goes ahead he would build in time to visit his youngest son and his grandchildren, but there are mountains of planning to be overcome before that becomes even a remote possibility,” Quinn said.
“It’s certainly possible that he would make a discreet private visit to Harry and the children in California,” the royal expert added. “He is desperate to see them and hates the idea that Archie and Lily will not remember him as the warm friendly grandfather he wants to be.”
King Charles could visit Harry & Meghan in the US
Relationship expert Louella Alderson told the Mirror that it would be a “significant gesture” if Charles would visit Harry, Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet in the US.
“The logistics behind King Charles’s making a trip to America, whether it’s private or not, and meeting with Harry without may prove difficult,” Alderson explained. “King Charles has many Royal obligations and now health issues as well, so a trip to America in any capacity would likely require careful planning and coordination.”
She continued: “This fact alone means if King Charles is willing to make the effort and put forth the time and energy to visit Harry in America, it could be a significant gesture of his desire to mend their relationship.”
“It’s possible that he may be more willing to address any issues and work towards finding a resolution than he has been previously.”
Traveling to the US could be a scheduling nightmare for King Charles, but Harry and Meghan will always have an opportunity to visit their children’s grandfather in the UK. However, it is easier said than done.
First, Meghan Markle appears not to be interested in visiting the UK more than necessary, and when Harry has been back in his old home country, he hasn’t always met his family.
In May, he was in London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but his father was not present. Meanwhile, Harry didn’t meet with his father during the short trip, and the last time they met was when the king’s estranged son visited him shortly after Charles had received his cancer diagnosis.
King Charles no longer responds to Harry’s calls, insider says
There have been reports that Harry misses his old friends in the UK, and only one of his family members, Princess Eugenie, has visited him and his family in the US.
Even though he might want to mend the relationship with his father, a source tells People Magazine that their communication has deteriorated in recent months.
According to a friend of Harry’s, King Charles is no longer responding to his son’s calls or letters.
“He gets ‘unavailable right now,’” a friend of Harry’s told People Magazine. “His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had many concerns about possibly returning to the UK as a family, mainly because they have concerns for the safety of their children.
Meghan was initially said to have been open to traveling with Harry to the Invictus Games ceremony in May but made a U-turn because of fears for their children’s safety.
For Archie and Lilibet, not getting to visit the UK hurts their relationship with their grandfather and their entire royal family tree. They have never met their cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, and all that has to do with the feud between their parents and Prince William and Kate Middleton.
“It’s really sad to see”
GB News royal editor Svar Nanan-Sen said, “Archie and Lilibet have no relationship with George, Charlotte and Louis – and they’re cousins. So this this feud between Harry and William and Kate and Meghan is creating a rift down the entire family that is crossing generations.”
Royal expert Cameron Walker added, “George, Charlotte, and Louis are not going to have that with their two cousins, Prince Archie,and Princess Lilibet – it’s really sad to see, and it’s also not their fault.”
Meanwhile, an “old family friend of several generations of royals,” as described by the Daily Beast, said that Archie and Lilibet are “being denied a meaningful relationship” with King Charles.
“To deprive them of that experience, with all its importance and heritage, seems very misguided. Of course, he wants to see them, but if you force Charles to choose between his duty to the Crown and his personal feelings, he will choose the Crown every time—just as his mother did;” the insider told the Daily Beast.
