Updates

Prince Harry and Prince Charles’ Complicated Relationship

Via

News Desk

Updated on June 3, 2021

Comment

See more articles on:

get top stories via email

Many people have been wondering about Prince Harry and Prince Charles’ relationship after his candid interview with Oprah Winfrey.

While Prince Charles has never seemed to be a doting parent, he has always looked to care profoundly for his children, Prince William and Prince Harry. Prince Harry’s youth was turbulent, since he saw his parents’ separation and divorce, as well as the terrible death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was still a kid. As a result, Prince Charles became the sole parent of his two young kids, presumably bringing them closer together.

During the interview, which aired on CBS in March, the Duke of Sussex said that his father had broken off contact with him when he and his wife, Meghan Markle, relocated to California in March 2020 rather than returning to London to be with the British royal family. “Because I took matters…into my own hands. It was like, I needed to do this for my family,” Harry said at the time. “This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s got to this point. I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”

Some complimented Harry and Meghan for their candor, while others chastised them for publicly criticizing a family renowned for preferring to keep such issues private. Most royal watchers, though, were left wanting more information on the rumored turbulent father/son relationship.

According to the source, Harry has a stronger connection with his brother, Prince William. “They’re definitely not at the point where they speak on a regular basis, but William wants to be the bigger person and set a precedent,” the insider said. “He believes that in order to repair damage and destruction from Harry’s interview, the best approach is to keep things civil with his brother rather than fanning the flames and fighting back with a tit-for-tat attitude…. Elizabeth is proud of William for taking the dignified approach, unlike Charles, who still hasn’t forgiven Harry for dragging his name through the mud.”

In his book Diana: Her True Story, royal writer Andrew Morton described Princess Diana as claiming that Charles chose to name his second child after himself. “I chose William and Harry, but Charles did the rest,” she explained (via PopSugar). She went on to say that her husband had planned to name their younger son Arthur, but she refused since it sounded “too old.”

Harry’s return to London for Philip’s burial was his first visit to the country since he and Meghan left for North America at the end of 2019. Though royal fans expected Harry and Charles to improve their relationship during the funeral, a source told Us Weekly that the two didn’t interact much when Harry was in town. “Unfortunately, Harry and Charles didn’t resolve their differences when Harry returned to the U.K. They barely communicated,” the source said. “There definitely continues to be a huge wedge between the two.”