Last month, I said that it felt like a major turning point when Prince Harry’s spokesperson issued a statement saying that his father is too busy to meet him. The statement itself was a turning point – it obviously came after King Charles and his courtiers were playing all sorts of foolish games with Harry – but the reaction from the palace also marked a turning point too. Buckingham Palace threw a full-on tantrum for two solid weeks, giving contradictory briefings to their media allies and making increasingly wild and bizarre claims about Harry. Ever since, Buckingham Palace has been trying to backtrack and play off their own craziness and go back to “business as usual.” Oh, of course Charles wants to see Harry, oh of course Charles wants a relationship with his Sussex children, of course Charles is a wonderful grandfather and not a spiteful, bitter and petty old man. Speaking of:
The King has committed himself to building a relationship with Prince Harry’s children and to be present in their lives, sources say. The monarch, who has been having treatment for cancer since February, has told friends he is not content with only seeing them on video calls after meeting Archie, five, only a handful of times and two-year-old Lilibet once. His decision to step up efforts to become more involved comes as it can be revealed he sent Lili a “heartfelt gift and card” on her birthday last week.
Sources close to the 75-year-old King, who was in Normandy last week for D-Day commemorations, say he is “keener than ever” to focus on his family and his duties and “make up for lost time” after being forced to scale back engagements after his diagnosis.
Those who know the King best say he has been in a reflective mood and considers his close bond with his son William’s three children a blessing. He is a “fantastic and enthusiastic grandpa” to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, five, sources say. His wife Camilla, 76, is also understood to be a driving force behind his decision to ramp up efforts to see his other grandchildren.
A source said: “The King is absolutely committed to being present in all of his grandchildren’s lives. He values family above everything and whatever the course of his relationship with his son he would never be content with just seeing his grandchildren on the odd video call.”
Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I – The Inside Story of the King and Our Late Queen, said: “Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lilibet. That is why he will never break ties with Harry. He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son’s children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won’t be around for ever.”
A friend of Harry insisted: “There has never been an issue with the King being in their lives and there never would be. The door’s always open.”
Charles evicted his grandchildren from their British home, he initially planned to remove their royal titles, he vocalized his concerns about “how dark” they would be and he clearly has never cared about his grandkids’ security or Harry and Meghan’s security. He’s also shrugged off invitations to spend time with the kids in California AND England. He scheduled his coronation for Archie’s birthday, then forced Harry to “choose,” all while refusing to invite the children to England last year. Genuinely insane. Anyway, this business-as-usual briefing is falling flat, given the downright unhinged panic from the palace last month. Charles showed his whole ass and he’s never going to see Archie and Lili again unless HE makes some significant changes.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Netflix.