Sources said the monarch has kept communication channels open despite the many barbs from California. Photo / AP
Sources said the monarch has kept communication channels open despite the many barbs from California. Photo / AP
The Duke of Sussex was wrong to claim that the King has shown “no willingness” to reconcile, sources have said.
Prince Harry suggested in an interview to promote his forthcoming memoir that he blamed his father and brother for the ongoing family rift.
He said of the royal family: “They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile … I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back.”
However, those close to the King insist that he has always made clear how much he loves both of his sons, keeping communication channels open throughout the past few years, despite the many barbs from California.
Father and son are understood to have remained in contact, meeting several times during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations last June.
Their relationship has occasionally been tense but the King has repeatedly said that his door remains open and that the Duke and Duchess are welcome at any time.
Although he has not watched the couple’s Netflix series and is not expected to read Harry’s book, he is said to have been “deeply saddened” by much of the criticism aimed at the institution by his son and daughter-in-law.
Prince Harry has suggested in an interview to promote his forthcoming memoir he blames King Charles and Prince William for the ongoing family rift. Photo / AP
But as several sources have made clear in recent weeks, he has no desire for further acrimony and would always welcome his younger son back into his arms.
One insisted that the King would never let personal hurt prevent him from building bridges, noting that he had insisted the Sussexes were invited to his coronation.
The duke has given two television interviews, to Tom Bradby, ITV’s News at Ten anchor, and to veteran US broadcaster Anderson Cooper, to promote his memoir, Spare.
On Monday, clips from both were released ahead of the book’s publication on Jan 10.
The full interviews will be broadcast on Sunday and will likely heap further anguish on the royal family, already braced for the release of the memoir.
In the trailer for ITV, the duke suggests that he blames his father and brother for the ongoing family rift and says: “They feel as though it’s better to keep us somehow as the villains.”
What the duke and duchess want, specifically, from the royal family is currently unclear.
They are likely still smarting from their perceived treatment in the immediate aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II when Harry was not personally contacted by the King before a public statement was released.
The King has so far resisted making a decision on whether to allow the Sussexes’ two children to use the titles of prince and princess. Photo / AP
There was also confusion over a mistaken Sussex invite to a state reception at Buckingham Palace - never fully explained - and tension over military uniforms.
The King was said to have seen “tremendous flickers of hope” in his interactions with the Sussexes over that period, raising the prospect of a rapprochement.
“In terms of the future, there is hope of a cause for unity,” one source said at the time.
But for the Sussexes, the message of love for Harry and Meghan that Charles included in his first public address as monarch was considered largely for public consumption.
The King has also, thus far, resisted making a decision on whether to allow the Sussexes’ two children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, to use the titles of prince and princess, which has caused some acrimony.
He is said to remain undecided on whether to allow his two youngest grandchildren to use the titles, which they automatically received on the death of the Queen.
They are also entitled to be styled His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness.
When the duchess was interviewed for The Cut magazine last August, she opened up about “losing” her own father, Thomas Markle, but suggested it did not have to be the same for her husband.
However, she suggested that the ball was in Harry’s court, adding: “It doesn’t have to be the same for them as it was for me, but that’s his decision.”
Publisher Penguin Random House has gone to great lengths to ensure the memoir is not leaked ahead of its publication date.
Preview copies have been minimal and tightly controlled, limited to senior industry figures on a need-to-know basis.
Meanwhile, a huge security operation will be launched next week to prevent stray copies popping up in book shops in any country ahead of its official release.
Spare will be available for download just after midnight, UK time, on Tuesday, and will be in shops that day.
In New Zealand, copies will only be available on January 11.
