While back in the U.K. to appear in court recently, Prince Harry apparently tried to connect with his father, King Charles, but, according to Us Weekly, the monarch was “too busy,” according to royal expert Alexander Larman. (In his defense, for much of the time Harry was in the U.K., Charles was on his first royal tour since becoming King; he traveled to Germany alongside wife Camilla from March 29 to March 31. A planned visit to France in the days prior to March 29 had to be postponed because of protests in the country.)
Harry was in his home country as part of a lawsuit against publishing company Associated Newspapers Limited—which publishes The Daily Mail, Mail Online, and The Mail on Sunday—for an alleged unlawful gathering of information. And, while Larman isn’t sure if Harry plans to attend Charles’ upcoming Coronation on May 6—nor are we, as we reported this morning—Larman says he would be “amazed” if Harry opted to skip the historic event.
“If he [doesn’t] go to the Coronation, he’s essentially saying, ‘I am not going to have any relationship with my family ever again,’” Larman says.
Of Harry’s recent trip across the pond, OK cites royal commentator Shannon Felton Spence as saying “I’m told Charles was never expecting to see Harry. Although he was in the country, Charles was too busy with Germany and the cancellation of his trip to France. The King was scheduled to be in France before Germany. He was not even supposed to be in the U.K. The political situation in France forced an unfortunate cancellation of the King’s visit, which made him unexpectedly in the U.K. for a few extra days.”
OK reports that Charles is “terrified” to have a confrontation with his younger son and Harry’s wife Meghan Markle. “He should be laying down the law after Harry and Meghan’s multiple smears and provocations since they quit royal life in 2020, but he’s chosen to shy away from a bitter battle,” a source says.
“Charles is caught between a rock and a hard place,” the source continues. “If he caves in to the Sussexes, he’ll lose respect of the British people and also members of his own family who no longer trust the couple. If he bans them, they’ll just continue their public treachery and deceit, setting themselves up as victims as they level more attacks on him and the royals.”
The source hinted that Charles may fear Harry since he teased a second no-holds-barred book after the success of Spare, his bestselling memoir that hit shelves in January. “But that’s exactly why he [Charles] should take charge and put an end to the Sussex sideshow once and for all,” the source says.
For their part, OK reports, the Prince and Princess of Wales made no effort to see Harry while he was in country and staying not far from their Windsor home, Adelaide Cottage. (Harry apparently opted to stay at his and Meghan’s home, Frogmore Cottage, which they are having to move out of by this summer. Frogmore is nearby Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.)
“King Charles and Camilla are too busy, and Prince William and Kate Middleton snubbed him,” a source says. “In fairness, Kate and William may not have been aware that Harry was coming, but they didn’t hang around for long after hearing he had landed at Heathrow Airport. They drove to the countryside with their three children for the Easter holidays.”
The source says that, like William, Kate still “doesn’t trust” Harry. “Their relationship is hanging by a thread, and after everything that’s happened, it’ll take a miracle to fix things,” a source says.
