The British royal family drama feels like it’s one step closer to being fixed, at least on one side. King Charles and Prince Harry are reportedly close to reconciliation, with the two set to meet up in person for the first time in over a year. But Prince William doesn’t seem to be on board with the plan, and that has reportedly caused strain on his own relationship with his father.
It’s not just about Harry, though. The issues between King Charles and Prince William seem to get to the heart of how each of them thinks the monarchy should be run. And since King Charles is the King now, it’s his decision. Just as it will be William’s decision when he is King.
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But the issues have reportedly caused a strain in their relationship to the point that the two have barely interacted during the royal family’s annual summer holiday at Balmoral. The Daily Beast reported from an insider that their relationship is “tense, difficult, formal, and fraught,” and not just that, apparently, “the vast majority of their communication mediated by their private secretaries.”
It gets worse. A former Buckingham Palace staffer said the two “spent no time at all together privately one-on-one when William and Kate were in Balmoral last week.” Instead, reportedly, King Charles mostly stayed at his “private home” while everyone else spent time together.
The underlying issue is how the two view the monarchy, with the staffer confirming Prince William didn’t want to attend Pope Francis’ funeral so he wouldn’t miss a soccer match, and also didn’t want to participate in VJ Day ceremonies. “Both absolutely true,” the former courtier said. “To William, continuing to run the monarchy as though it were still an Edwardian institution feels absurd. To Charles, his son’s more casual approach can feel like a lack of respect for duty and tradition.”
Prince William is also reportedly not on board with the Prince Harry reconciliation. The Daily Beast reported that William doesn’t believe Harry should be welcomed back with open arms. However, the outlet also said William will defer to his father’s opinion, even if he doesn’t agree. “Ultimately, William is a loyal soldier. He respects his father’s rank, and he respects his father’s right to make his own decisions, and he won’t make a fuss if it happens,” they said. “But he thinks a Harry meeting is a terrible, terrible idea.”
The King and the Prince of Wales see the issue of Harry differently. There are trust issues there, but the king misses his son [Harry],” King Charles’ former personal butler, Grant Harrold, told The Post. However, the Prince of Wales has other concerns. “William is worried that with the stuff Harry has said, he could use it to his advantage again … like he’s already done. I think, sadly, they don’t trust him. It’s a shame, because Harry wants them to.”
Whatever happens with Harry, it seems like King Charles and Prince William are going to have to find a middle ground in the question of how the monarchy moves forward. Otherwise, Harry will be the least of their problems.