Prince Harry’s hopes of mending relations with the Royal Family have taken another hit following a recent move by King Charles, according to experts. Harry was in the spotlight earlier this month at the Invictus Games, which he founded in 2014, and was joined by his wife Meghan Markle in Canada.
However, around the same time, King Charles met with David Henson, a former Army captain and para-sports athlete, at Imperial College London’s Centre for Injury Studies. Despite David mentioning his participation in the Invictus Games, the King merely responded with a brief “Fantastic”, seemingly reluctant to engage in a conversation about his youngest son’s event.
Discussing the encounter on The Royals with Roya and Kate podcast, Royal editors Roya Nikkhah and Kate Mansey noted that Charles could have used the opportunity to praise the Games, saying: “Now that could have been an opportunity for the King to say ‘Oh yes, they’re marvellous’ or whatever that might be.”
The Royal insider observed: “But, he just let that comment go and the conversation continued and the King didn’t pick up on that at all. So, I thought that was really interesting, that that was an opportunity for the King to acknowledge the Invictus Games with somebody, who was front and centre of it when it first started, and has been a kind of pin-up for rehabilitation and getting up and getting on with his life and doing incredible things despite having life-threatening, life-altering injuries…That was quite telling, the King just sort of didn’t acknowledge the (Invictus) games at all.”
It has been over a year since Charles last met Harry, who is now largely estranged from the Royal family. In February 2024, Harry returned to London from California following the King’s cancer diagnosis, but they spent less than an hour together, with Harry staying overnight in a hotel before returning home.
It is believed that Harry is eager to mend relationships with his father and brother William; however, he faces a significant challenge, reports The Mirror.
Royal author Robert Hardman recently told the Daily Beast: “Whatever reconciliation or bridge-building happens, it needs to be a three-way process.
“People keep asking about the king’s feelings, but William also has to be on board, which adds complexity. It’s tricky, and a situation nobody wants. But whatever the way forward is, it has to work for everybody.”
Royal insiders have hinted that Prince William harbours no intentions of reconciling with his brother due to the barrage of incendiary claims Harry has levelled at the Royal Family. The Sunday Times ,reports that the Prince of Wales is “unlikely to forgive Harry anytime soon”, particularly struggling to move past the remarks made about his wife, Kate.
“William is unlikely to forgive Harry any time soon for his slights against Kate in Spare, among them the suggestion she was cold towards Meghan. Those close to William say his brother rarely comes up in conversation.”
