Prince Harry’s relationship with King Charles has remained complicated in the years since the Duke of Sussex stepped back from royal duties.
In the 2023 memoir, Harry portrayed his relationship with Charles as emotionally distant.
He wrote in Spare that the pair “mostly coexisted”, claiming that Charles struggled with both listening and face-to-face intimacy.
Harry recalled moments when his father would express his feelings indirectly.
After lengthy dinners, he said, he would sometimes return to his room to find a handwritten letter from Charles praising him for something he had achieved.
Elsewhere in Spare, Harry made the more personal claim that his father “didn’t hug” him, while reflecting on Charles’s approach to parenthood.
He suggested that the King had always appeared somewhat uncomfortable with the demands of raising children, particularly the patience, time and emotional openness that fatherhood required.
Despite the deepening rift between Harry and the Royal Family, the Duke has repeatedly indicated that he would like to repair his relationship with his father.
During a BBC interview in 2025, Harry spoke openly about his hopes for reconciliation, saying he no longer saw a reason to continue fighting with his family.
He also expressed concern about how much time he might have left with the King, while acknowledging that any decision to rebuild their relationship ultimately rested with his relatives.
That hope appeared to take a tentative step forward during Harry’s latest visit to the UK.
Last month, the Duke travelled to Highgrove House in Gloucestershire for a private meeting with his father.
King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted Harry at the monarch’s country residence, with the meeting said to have lasted around an hour.
Meghan joined him, along with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
2026-08-10 22:40:00
