King Charles, Prince Harry at point of 'no turning back' as monarch refuses reconciliation: expert

Fox News

2 days ago

As King Charles prepares to put on a united front with his family at this year's Trooping the Colour, the monarch and estranged son Prince Harry are nowhere near ending their rift.
"There is no turning back," British royals expert Hilary Fordwich claimed to Fox News Digital.
"King Charles remains tender towards his son but can't risk communication," she shared. "Prince William now has absolutely no interest in mending fences. Those close to the king say he [shouldn't] make peace with Harry in a way that would burden Prince William's future reign. The animosity is so deep that William has shut the door on Harry. Charles is not willing to go against his heir's wishes."
"Everything comes down to trust and the lack of it," Fordwich added.
Fordwich's comments came shortly after insiders told People magazine that the monarch, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, is hesitant to reconnect with his son. Many royal observers believe it's the monarch who should take the first step in igniting a royal reconciliation.
"The underlying issue is trust," royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told the outlet. "The king and William don't trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation."
Insiders told the outlet that the king, 76, isn't surrounded by palace aides urging him to reconcile with his son. Meanwhile, William is said to have "no interest" in extending an olive branch.
"There is not a good angel in [the king's] ear to say, 'Be a good dad and make the first move,'" royal author Valentine Low told the outlet.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
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Fordwich claimed that Harry has crossed such a deep line in Charles's eyes that it's been difficult for the king to forgive his son. Sources close to Harry previously claimed to People magazine that Charles won't respond to his letters or phone calls.
"It's Harry's criticisms of Queen Camilla [in his memoir, 'Spare'], as well as his broader attacks on the family and institution, which have seriously crossed a line for the king and those closest to him," Fordwich claimed.
"The king is now so puzzled by Harry's constant revelations. It's now beyond sensitive to discuss, so he avoids all interaction regarding the subject. He is so kind but overwhelmed and has quite enough on his plate to deal with, without all this from his son."
Harry's troubled relationship with his family and the U.K. establishment has played out in public for years – in books, interviews, TV programs and the courts.
Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing the unbearable intrusions of the British press and a lack of support from the palace. That same year, they moved to California.
Since the couple's royal exit, they have aired their grievances and made blistering allegations against the royal family. Harry's explosive 2023 memoir, "Spare," was stuffed with private details and embarrassing revelations.
Harry's rift with his family burst into the open once more with a raw interview he gave to the BBC in May after losing a court case over his security. In a long and at times emotional conversation, Harry said he wanted reconciliation. He admitted that his father, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, won't speak to him.
"Harry's ill-timed recent interview on the BBC highlighted the lack of trust between them publicly," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital. "He seemed to believe his father could and should solve the issue of security, which he insists he and his family should have."
"The rift, sadly, seems likely to remain toxic as there is no mutual trust between them," said Fitzwilliams. "Hopefully, it will not worsen as the Sussexes could give further interviews or possibly write more about the feud, something that is invariably remunerative for them."
Low told People magazine that despite Harry's call for peace on the BBC, his comments were seen as another blow to the royals. During the interview, Harry, who has met his father only once, briefly, since his diagnosis early last year, said, "I don't know how much longer my father has."
"It wasn't meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one," said Low. "It makes Charles reaching out even harder."
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that the royals take great pride in protecting their public image. They've maintained the late Queen Elizabeth II's motto of keep calm and carry on.
"The royals play a positive role to the cameras," he explained. "[But] behind the scenes, they allegedly are constantly bickering with each other… King Charles has a past reputation for not making advances on difficult decisions."
A source recently claimed to Us Weekly that William was "absolutely appalled" by Harry's comments to the BBC about their father's health. The insider claimed that the 42-year-old feels like Harry stooped "so low."
Royal experts previously told Fox News Digital that William is fiercely protective of Charles. The source also told the outlet that it's unlikely that the feuding brothers will reunite while their father is still alive.
"The funeral of Charles would be the first time that courtiers would imagine [them reuniting]," said the insider. "I can't imagine William would invite Harry to his coronation."
Despite infrequent updates from the palace about his health, Charles has returned to a full slate of public duties. During his sit-down with the BBC, Harry held out little hope of another meeting with his father.
"The only time I come back to the U.K. is, sadly, for funerals or court cases," he said.
Fitzwilliams said that Charles must address his ongoing rift with Harry, 40, as it remains a dark cloud over his reign.
"We are now less than a fortnight away from Trooping the Colour, which celebrates the monarch's birthday," he said. "King Charles can surely congratulate himself on negotiating a year where he has worked so hard and achieved a great deal despite battling cancer."
"The one area that remains problematic is the rift with the Sussexes. He has only seen Prince Harry once after his diagnosis and then fleetingly."
Back in 2024, Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," claimed to Fox News Digital that the king is still unable to forgive his son for casting Camilla as the villain in "Spare."
"I think people have to realize that the one thing that Charles finds unforgivable is criticism of Camilla," said Andersen at the time.
"There's no criticism of Camilla," Andersen claimed. "And unfortunately for Harry… Harry said some pretty devastating things about her. He made it clear that he felt she was… the villain in the piece. I think that still bothers the king, and I don't know that it will be easy for him to [forgive]. I don't think they'll ever forgive Harry for that."
WATCH: PRINCE HARRY'S JABS AT QUEEN CAMILLA UNFORGIVABLE FOR KING CHARLES: EXPERT
"[He's] on his own," Andersen added, referring to the Duke of Sussex.
In televised interviews to promote the book, Harry accused his stepmother, 77, of leaking private conversations to the media to burnish her own reputation. He accused members of the royal family of getting "into bed with the devil" to gain favorable tabloid coverage, singling out Camilla's efforts to rehabilitate her image with the public after her longtime affair with his father.
"That made her dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press," Harry told CBS ahead of his book launch. "There was open willingness on both sides to trade information. And with a family built on hierarchy, and with her on the way to being queen consort, there was going to be people or bodies left in the street."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in the wealthy coastal city of Montecito with their two young children.