King Charles’ brutal new Prince Harry snub: ‘Waves away’

It briefly seemed like the pair’s relationship was improving – but a brutal new detail about their communication has dashed that hope.

IN LONDON

Hopes that King Charles’ cancer diagnosis and Prince Harry’s subsequent dash to the UK to see him indicated a positive new era in their relationship have faded, with claims the monarch has been screening his son’s calls of late.

In fact, according to the UK Times, relations appear to be “getting worse rather than better”, with the report adding that the King “is said to wave courtiers away” when they tell him that the Duke of Sussex has called.

Following years of tension amid Harry’s repeated public criticisms toward the royal family, the ice appeared to be thawing in February, when the King and his youngest son had a long-awaited (albeit brief) reunion after Charles revealed he was battling cancer.

King Charles at The 2024 Mey Highland Games last week in Edinburgh. Picture: Euan Cherry/Getty Images

A concerned Harry had flown straight from his home in California to London in order to see his father face-to-face for less than hour. Later, he spoke to Good Morning America about how “grateful” he’d been to see the King – a clear shift in tone from previous interviews.

“I’ve got other trips planned that will take me through the U.K, or back to the U.K., and so I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can,” he added.

However, months on and Harry’s only other visit to the UK, in May for an Invictus Games event, resulted in a public statement from his office revealing that his father’s schedule had been too “full” to accommodate a catch-up, despite the pair being within just a few kilometres of each other.

Harry and Meghan – pictured here in a new TV interview – are largely estranged from his family. Picture: CBS Sunday Morning

It was later reported in the UK’s Telegraph that the duke had actually been offered accommodation at an undisclosed royal lodging during his stay, but turned it down due to security concerns. The publication reports that the visibility of the entrance and exit on the royal property without police protection caused an issue for Harry, who instead opted to check in to a hotel, which allowed more privacy.

Weeks on from Harry’s visits, claims surfaced in the UK’s Mirror that the King had reached “the end of his tether” with his youngest son after years of enduring a public rift.

While it’s been widely reported that the King has remained open to reuniting with his son, it was claimed he’d been left fed up with Harry’s refusal to compromise.

“Charles feels he has made huge effort to repair his relationship with his son, but that Harry refuses to give an inch. With that in mind Charles is changing his tactics,” royal author Tom Quinn told the publication.

“The new plan is to take a harder line with Harry; a move from good cop to bad cop, but palace insiders agree that Charles is at the end of his tether. He wants to be reconciled with his son, but nothing he does seems to work.”

Originally published as King Charles’ brutal new Prince Harry snub: ‘Waves away’