King Charles will be busy on the third anniversary of his coronation as he's expected to be at the first Garden Party of 2026, but behind the scenes of this joyful occasion there is sadness. It's also Prince Archie's 7th birthday on 6th May and royal expert Duncan Larcombe believes that the King "regrets" how things have gone with the Sussexes.
"I think King Charles is full of regrets over the whole situation, he definitely wouldn't have wanted it to go this way," he claimed to The Mirror, reflecting that the monarch has "spoken about how much he enjoys being a grandparent".
King Charles last saw his grandson in person back in 2022 during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend. This was also the first time that he got to meet Princess Lilibet and reports have widely described the reunion as incredibly special for him.
"The [King and Queen] were absolutely thrilled to see them. He hadn't met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing," a source alleged at the time, adding that it was "very special" to see Archie again too.
Neither of Prince Harry and Meghan's children have been to the UK since then and King Charles's "regrets" could be on his mind as Archie celebrates his big day an ocean away. Milestones in the lives of his grandchildren will likely mean a lot to him and the King had an exceptionally close bond with his own grandmother, the Queen Mother.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has called their relationship "magical" and previously expressed her belief that he's trying to "replicate" this experience. In her view, Charles is "quite a soppy old thing" and "hugely values the time he has" to spend with his grandkids.
His closeness with his Wales grandchildren is clear every time they appear together, as we saw when he playfully greeted Prince Louis at the Easter Sunday service. Having such a special relationship with George, Charlotte and Louis might also remind the King even more of what he's missing out on with Archie and Lilibet.
It's such a sad situation and one that's always attracting speculation, especially after Prince Harry openly declared he'd love a "reconciliation" with his wider family. As the Sussexes aren't working royals, we won't see the Royal Family officially wishing Archie happy birthday on social media, though the Duchess of Sussex is likely to share a new photo on her Instagram.
King Charles will no doubt have sent a present to California, though, and royal expert and author Tom Quinn previously claimed to The Mirror that the King "wants to be an indulgent grandparent".
"Archie loves the idea that his grandad lives in a castle," he went on to explain, adding, "King Charles hasn't seen his grandson Archie since 2022 and Archie really misses him - many of Archie's books are about kings, princesses and castles and he knows enough to know that his grandfather lives in a castle."
In reality, King Charles lives at Clarence House in London most of the time - his own grandmother's old residence. Though he is expected to be at nearby Buckingham Palace, an altogether grander home, for the Garden Party as Prince Archie celebrates in the US.
