King Charles could be “haunted” by the consequences of his own actions when it comes to his son Prince Harry, a royal author has claimed. After Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997, the monarch – who was Prince of Wales at the time – had the difficult job of single parenting.
While it is believed he did all he could for his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, while juggling royal duty, a royal author has said that the monarch’s approach to confrontation may explain some of Prince Harry’s recent decisions. While the King, 76, seems to have a warm relationship with his eldest son William, it seems that the bond he shares with Harry is not quite as smooth-sailing, with Harry claiming last month that Charles “won’t speak” to him. Royal author Ingrid Seward now believes that the fractured relationship between father and son may be a result of the fact Charles “turned away” from confrontation while his sons were growing up, and had not been firm enough with them.
Seward wrote in her book My Mother and I: “Like his mother and grandmother, Charles hated confrontation and did what he usually did when faced with a crisis beyond his immediate control: turned away from it.
“This course of inaction would come to haunt Charles over the years. His youngest son, Prince Harry, complained how difficult it was to get hold of ‘Pa’, as he calls him, when his father didn’t want to take his calls, which he frequently didn’t.
“After Harry and Meghan married, there was seldom a simple phone call from his father. They all contained various demands or requests, sometimes wrapped up in niceties, sometimes not.
“Again, had Charles been firmer with Harry and, to some extent, William, in their formative years, they might not have caused him so much worry.”
While the King has not publicly addressed the claims made by Harry, 40, that they are no longer on talking terms, their recent rift is not the first sign that the relationship between the pair wasn’t always good.
Since quitting his senior royal role in 2020, Harry has made various revelations about his life in the Firm, including in his memoir Spare, which was published in 2023. In the book, Harry spoke about his father and made suggestions that Charles had rarely shown affection to his sons.
He wrote: “No hugs, no kisses, no pats. Now and then, maybe a light touching of cheeks – on special occasions.”
Harry also famously claimed that his father did not hug him when telling the prince about Princess Diana’s death. He wrote in Spare: “What I do remember with stunning clarity is that I did not cry. Not a tear. My father did not hug me.”