Prince Harry's strained relationship with his stepmother, Queen Camilla, seems to continue, as reported by a close friend of the Queen. During his brief 24-hour visit to London last week to see his cancer-stricken father, King Charles III, Harry apparently didn't want to be in the same room as Camilla. In a column for The Telegraph, Camilla's friend, Petronella Wyatt, revealed that Harry 'preferred not to be in the same room with his stepmother when he spoke to the King about his cancer diagnosis.'
This reported avoidance of Camilla by Harry is seen as a missed opportunity to extend an olive branch, according to Wyatt. She believes that Harry's feelings towards Camilla were already made clear in his explosive memoir, 'Spare,' where he referred to her as 'dangerous' and 'the villain.' In the book, Harry expressed his complex feelings about gaining a step-parent who he believed had betrayed him for her own personal gain. He accused her of leaking stories about the family to boost her popularity.
It's worth noting that Harry's sentiments towards Camilla are not recent. In his memoir, he even referred to her as the 'other woman,' a reference to her relationship with King Charles while he was still married to Princess Diana. This was nearly two decades after Charles and Camilla got married.
During Harry's recent trip to London, his wife Meghan Markle did not accompany him. Meghan and Harry, who stepped back from their royal duties in 2020, currently reside in the United States with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The purpose of Harry's visit to London was to have a 45-minute meeting with his father after Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer. The Palace stated, 'During the king's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.' The 75-year-old monarch has now commenced a schedule of regular treatments and has been advised by doctors to postpone public engagements during this period. However, he will continue to carry out his official duties and paperwork.
Following his meeting with his father, Harry swiftly returned to California. Photos obtained by Page Six captured him boarding a commercial Delta flight at Los Angeles International Airport.
Despite the ongoing tension between Harry and Camilla, it remains to be seen whether there will be any efforts to reconcile their differences in the future. For now, their strained relationship is a topic of interest for royal watchers and those following the lives of the British royal family.
