Inside King Charles’s changing relationship with Prince William and Prince Harry amid family turmoil in recent years – as he celebrates Father’s Day without his youngest son

The Royal Family has endured a tumultuous few years, with the deaths of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, and both King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales facing cancer.

Another blow to the family came in 2020, when Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle decided to step back from their roles as senior royals.

Ever since the move, which saw the Sussexes move across the world to California, it is believed that Prince Harry’s relationship with his father has become somewhat complicated.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, as Charles has become monarch, and William has become the Prince of Wales, many royal experts have been speculating that the father-son bond has become closer than ever. 

Harry’s decision to leave The Firm has certainly caused a strained relationship with the King.

Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince Harry, and the then-Prince Charles on holiday in the Scilly Isles in 1989

The then-Prince Charles poses for photographs with Prince Harry and Prince William during the Royal Family’s ski break in Klosters in 2005

This was made worse after he and Meghan were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey.

During the chat, which was aired while Prince Philip was extremely ill, Harry and his wife made a series of claims against the monarchy and members of the family.

Among them, they accused unnamed members of showing concern about what colour skin their son Archie may have. It is unknown when exactly this conversation took place, with Harry saying it was at the beginning of the relationship, and Meghan saying it was after they were married and she was pregnant.

While Harry later said he doesn’t believe the Royal Family is racist, but rather, holds unconscious biases, the claims affected family relations.

The Duke of Sussex’s bond with his father were strained further when he released his memoir Spare in January 2023.

In the book, Harry claimed that William had physically attacked him, and that Charles was jealous of Meghan, fearing that she had the potential to ‘dominate the monarchy’.

Claiming that his father had said he couldn’t afford to maintain the Sussexes, the memoir said: ‘Pa might have dreaded the rising cost of maintaining us, but what he really couldn’t stomach was someone new dominating the monarchy, grabbing the limelight, someone shiny and new coming in and overshadowing him.’

He also wrote about his father’s relationship with the now Queen Camilla, describing it as ‘not a prospect I relished’, and adding that he and Prince William had ‘begged’ him not to marry her.

King Charles, pictured with Prince William last month, has reportedly grown closer to his oldest son in recent times

Another claim Harry made against Camilla in the book was that she ‘sacrificed’ him in order to improve her own public image. 

While doing an interview to promoted his memoirs, the Prince admitted he had not spoken to his father for ‘quite a while’.

According to royal author Tom Quinn, following the publication of the book, the King told his son to stop divulging family information.    

‘Harry has been asked directly by his father not to write or say publicly anything further about the family or his brother that might cause trouble,’ he told the Mirror.

‘And everyone knows that when a King asks you to do something, there are going to be consequences if you do not obey.’

Following the publication of Spare, Harry made a solo trip to the UK for his father’s coronation in May.

However, the Duke of Sussex, who was not invited to appear on the balcony following the ceremony, hopped on a plane back to America just hours after his father was crowned, reportedly eager to get back for his son’s birthday celebrations.

At the time, a well-placed source was reported to have said that the King seemed ‘genuinely quite disappointed that he didn’t stay’.

Prince Harry made another fleeting visit to the UK in February 2024, after the monarch revealed his cancer diagnosis.

Prince Harry is pictured greeting his father during the 10th Anniversary Memorial Service For Diana, Princess of Wales in 2007

Harry reportedly met with his father at Clarence House for a mere 30 minutes in what was their first face-to-face encounter for 16 months.

According to royal expert Robert Jobson, the meeting may have been kept short to stop the monarch from experiencing unnecessary stress.

When the Duke came to the UK in May to attend a London service marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, he did not meet with any of his family members. 

Addressing this, a spokesperson for Harry released a statement saying: ‘In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme.

‘The duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.’

Meanwhile, in recent times, Prince William has grown closer to his father, according to royal author Robert Hardman.

Reports suggest that while Prince Harry (pictured, right) has a strained relationship with King Charles, Prince William (pictured, left) has recently grown closer to his father (seen in Windsor after viewing the floral tributes for the late Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022)

Writing about the father and son’s relationship in his latest book, Charles III, Robert said: ‘As has been noted earlier, the Prince of Wales’s relationship with the King has been strengthened by the twin burdens of their new roles and periodic broadsides from California. 

‘Also, the more that the heir to the throne becomes involved in the running of the Duchy of Cornwall and the royal estates, the more he has come to appreciate his father’s dedication and his achievements over the years.’  

It is a far cry from reports that the heir had a trickier relationship with his father in his earlier years.

According to royal expert Robert Lacey, writing in his 2020 book, Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, the heir reportedly felt ‘open disdain and aggression’ towards his father while he was growing up.

Robert Lacey alleged that William once shouted: ‘I hate you, Papa. I hate you so much. Why do you make Mummy cry all the time?’

Neither the King or Prince have disclosed whether Lacey’s claims are true.       

The close bond shared by the two these days has been evident on a number of occasions, where the pair have interacted publicly.

Prince William kisses his father King Charles on the cheek during the monarch’s coronation ceremony in 2023

One such moment was during the King’s coronation. After William gave an oath of allegiance to his father, he kissed him on the cheek as per tradition, and his father said: ‘Amen, thank you William.’

Many commentators noted how emotional the moment appeared to be, and how tenderly the father and son interacted with each other.

During the following Coronation celebratory concert, William gave a speech, in which he said: ‘My father has always understood that people of all faiths, all backgrounds, and all communities, deserve to be celebrated and supported. Pa, we are all so proud of you.’

The King was equally full of praise for his oldest son while giving his first address as monarch, saying: ‘Today, I am proud to create [William the] Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty.

‘With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.’