King Charles’ fallout with Prince Harry has had a devastating side effect on his relationship with his grandchildren. A source told Closer in June 2025 that Charles is sad that he never built a relationship with his Harry’s children with Meghan Markle—son Archie and daughter Lilibet—after the couple’s move to the United States in 2019. The rift is something that Charles’ daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, who is married to Harry’s brother, Prince William, is trying to remind.
“It breaks Charles’ heart that he hasn’t been able to build a relationship with Archie and Lilibet – he’s already missed so many milestones that he can never get back,” the insider said. “The hope is that Harry will stop being so hardheaded and bring the kids over to spend time with their grandfather but, so far, he hasn’t made any moves towards that – so Kate is scrambling to find some sort of solution. This isn’t a matter that can continually be kicked down the road – with Charles’ health and the kids growing up so fast, time is precious.”
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The source went on to explain how Kate is trying to fix things between Harry, Charles, and William for the sake of Archie and Lilibet. “For now, though, the only solution that seems viable is for Charles to start bonding with them over video calls. Kate is trying to make that happen and has spoken to both Charles and Harry about the possibility of setting up regular chats,” the insider said. “It’s not ideal, of course – but the feeling is that it would be better than nothing, and it could be a small step toward healing. She thinks Harry will regret cutting off his father if anything happens to him.”
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, King Charles
One thing that could be blocking Kate’s efforts is Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, who doesn’t want her kids involved in Harry, Charles, and William’s feud until it’s over.
“Kate’s idea won’t be going ahead without the Sussexes’ joint approval, and it seems Meghan is not interested in allowing it to happen. She feels badly for Charles and wishes him a speedy recovery, but the idea of freeing up her kids for any type of interaction is not something she’s on board with at all – not how things currently stand,” the insider said.
The source continued, “From her perspective, the royals have had every chance to rebuild a relationship with them and the kids, but the King himself refused to intervene and help them with proper security in the UK. That’s done irreparable damage and, at this point, it’s hard to see a scenario whereby Meghan or the kids will be accompanying Harry on one of his trips home, or even bending the rules to put them on a video call.”
The insider also explained how Meghan “holds the key” when it comes to parenting decisions between her and Harry.
“As much as Kate may want this to go ahead, it’s almost impossible to see how she’ll get Meghan to agree to it, even if Harry thinks it’s a good idea,” the source said. “At the end of the day, it’s Meghan who holds the key here. She’s ferociously protective when it comes to her kids – and the royals will have to get on her good side for Kate’s idea to stand any chance.”
News of Archie and Lilibet’s relationship with Charles comes after The Guardian reported that William plans to prevent Archie and Lilibet from using HRH titles once he becomes king. “The Guardian understands that Prince Harry wants to keep the HRH titles for his children so that when they grow older they can decide for themselves whether they want to become working royals, or stay out of public life,” the publication reported.
A source close to William also told the newspaper, “William obviously isn’t going to hire Archie and Lilibet. This is just trolling on the part of Harry and Meghan… The idea that somehow having a vestigial HRH as a baby later entitles you to be a working royal is beyond parody, even for them.”
The insider also slammed Harry and Meghan for continuing to use their HRH titles after Queen Elizabeth II explicitly told them not to. “Harry and Meghan were asked by the queen to stop using their HRHs, and agreed,” the friend said. “Obviously, any reasonable person would understand that would mean your kids don’t use them either.”
The source also confirmed William’s stance on the Sussexes using HRH titles now that they’re no longer working royals. “They have asked the Sussexes politely to stop using the style, to no avail, so I imagine William will simply issue new letters patent to formally remove the entire family’s right to use HRH when he becomes king,” the insider said. The source continued, “Charles may not want this fight, but William despises Harry and Meghan at this stage, and when he is king his fury will rain down on them.”
The news also comes a source told The Daily Beast of William’s plans to further distance Harry from the royal family once he’s king. “It’s no secret William wants Harry more harshly dealt with. He thinks he has betrayed the family from top to bottom, which is the ultimate Windsor crime. It wouldn’t take much to provoke him to flex his muscles when he is king,” the insider said.
The source continued, “Charles isn’t going to open a new front in the civil war on the basis of one Instagram post, and it’s not as if they are calling themselves HRH. I think everyone is pretty clear, at this stage, what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s position in the family is.”
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