Prince Harry’s prospects of mending fences with the Royal Family seem to have taken another hit following what experts are calling a “telling” move by King Charles.
This month saw Harry step into the limelight once again as he championed the Invictus Games, an event he established back in 2014.
He was accompanied by his wife Meghan Markle in Canada at the beginning of February for the 2025 Games, where the couple were seen sharing affectionate moments while spectating.
Shortly after their public display, King Charles had an encounter with ex-Army captain and para-athlete David Henson at Imperial College London’s Centre for Injury Studies.
Despite David bringing up his past participation in the Invictus Games during the conversation, the King’s response was limited to a brief: “Fantastic” – avoiding any deeper engagement on the topic of his son or the sporting event.
The interaction was dissected on The Royals with Roya and Kate podcast, where Royal commentators Roya Nikkhah and Kate Mansey remarked on Charles’s curt reply, noting: “Now that could have been an opportunity for the King to say ‘Oh yes, they’re marvellous’ or whatever that might be.”
The analysis of a particular conversation with King Charles has revealed a missed chance for the monarch to connect over the Invictus Games, observed a Royal commentator.
The commentator said: “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.”
Over a year has passed since Charles has seen his son, Prince Harry. Despite their estrangement, Harry rushed back to London from California in February 2024 upon news of the King’s cancer diagnosis—yet the father and son’s interaction lasted under an hour before Harry overnighted in a hotel and returned to the States, reports the Mirror.
It’s believed that Harry desires to repair ties with his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William, but Royal author Robert Hardman suggests it won’t be easy, telling the Daily Beast: “Whatever reconciliation or bridge-building happens, it needs to be a three-way process.”
He added, “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.”
Indeed, palace insiders claim that Prince William isn’t inclined to reconcile with Prince Harry following a series of incendiary claims made against the Royal family. As detailed by The Sunday Times, the Prince of Wales harbours deep-seated resentment due to remarks Harry directed at Kate.
The publication reports: “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.”
