King Charles and Prince Harry’s fractured relationship took another hit following the duke’s emotional BBC interview last month.
Prince Harry’s interview following the loss of a legal challenge over the level of his security in the UK is being called his “biggest mistake” by royal commentators, with one suggesting his plea for a “reconciliation” to King Charles came from a place of “anger” not healing.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, appeared visibly emotional during the interview.
He claimed that his father “won’t speak” to him amid the security issues. However, he also revealed his wish to reconcile with his family, especially his father.
Prince Harry’s ‘biggest mistake’ in ‘rift’ with King Charles
But according to royal photographer Arthur Edwards, the tone and timing of the interview may have done more harm than good.
“I keep thinking back to that video he made when he lost the court case. And he looked so sad in that, so really down and not upbeat like he was normally,” Arthur said on The Sun‘s Royal Exclusive Show. “All he wanted to do was reconcile with his father. If he’d only said sorry on that interview, ‘Sorry, Pop, you know, I do want to see you,’ I think that might have had a different [effect].”
In the interview, Harry said he missed the UK and was saddened that he wouldn’t be able to share his homeland with his children since they no longer have high-level police protection. Harry’s taxpayer-funded protection was downgraded in 2020, after he and wife Meghan Markle stepped away from royal duties.
But the pain went deeper. Harry told the BBC of his father: “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”
The fallout from Harry and Meghan’s 2020 decision to step back from royal duties continues to ripple through the family.
I did feel that was a change in his attitude. It was coming from his heart.
The king’s ongoing cancer treatment has only amplified calls for reconciliation, but Harry’s latest comments may have pushed that hope further away.
“I thought he looked so sad, you know, so sad,” Arthur emphasised. “I did feel that was a change in his attitude. It was coming from his heart.”
However, The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson argued the moment was poorly judged and driven by frustration rather than bridge-building. He called it “one of their biggest mistakes”.
“It came from a place of anger,” Matt said.
Harry and King Charles reconciliation
Harry’s interview came in the wake of his failed appeal against the removal of taxpayer-funded protection when he visits the UK.
Harry told the BBC of the court defeat: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
The duke’s relationship with his family has become distant in recent years.
The release of his memoir, Spare, in 2023, allegedly deepened the rift as the book contained allegations about the royal family. Reports claim that Harry isn’t in contact with his father or older brother Prince William.
With his wife Meghan pursuing business ventures and Harry appearing increasingly isolated, royal experts believe the duke may now be having second thoughts about the decisions that led him here.
Photographer Arthur said he feels Harry is “having probably second thoughts”.
