King Charles misses his youngest son and wants to “re-embrace” him, a royal expert has said. Earlier this month, the monarch, 76, met up with his youngest son Prince Harry, 41, for the first time in over a year at Clarence House, London.
The meeting between father-and-son, which lasted just short of an hour, has been seen as significant, with the pair having reportedly experienced some rifts beforehand. While neither the King or Harry, who quit royal life in 2020, have spoken about what was discussed in their meeting, one royal expert believes the fact they saw each other face to face is a result of the King’s “paternal longing”.
Royal author Tina Brown, who was friends with Harry’s late mother Princess Diana, has also said that the King wants his son back if he can be trusted and “keep his mouth shut”.
Writing in The New York Times, Brown said: “’It’s no secret that Charles desperately misses his prodigal son.”
She then went on to say: “Charles knows that in these times of ugly political discord, a fractured royal family is a bad look.
“But it (the meeting) was also the fulfilment of paternal longing.”
Since the meeting between the monarch and his son, which took place during Harry’s four-day visit to the UK, it has been suggested that this could be the first of many interactions between the pair again.
It has since been rumoured that plans are underway for the King and Harry to make a joint public appearance together, putting their rift behind them for good.
The Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffith’s wrote: “In the strongest indication yet that the Duke of Sussex is making positive steps towards a reconciliation with senior royals, it is understood that courtiers in both households are tentatively discussing how to get father and son together more frequently over the next year, with a view to them finally appearing jointly at a public event.”
Although it is not known what Harry and the King spoke about together, Harry did tell The Guardian just days after the meeting that his father was set to be his “focus” over the coming year.
He also said his father was “great” at an event he attended in the UK just hours after being reunited with his dad.
