Prince Harry and Prince Charles in happier times. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Harry has put pen to paper, writing his father a "deeply personal" letter in which he promised to "respect the institution".
The Duke of Sussex is said to have made contact with his father before he flew back to the UK for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.
Royal sources told the Mirror that Harry made the decision after their relationship "hit rock bottom" following the now infamous Oprah Winfrey interview with both Harry and Meghan Markle.
In the interview, Harry accused his father of not taking his calls, something which Prince Charles is said to have not taken well, further fracturing their relationship.
The Prince of Wales is said to still remain "very hurt" by Harry and Meghan's decision to take part in the controversial interview, which was aired while Prince Philip was in hospital.
The Mirror reported that in his recent letter, Harry "outlined his reasons for leaving" his position as a senior royal and said he would "respect the institution" while living his new life in California.
The Duke of Sussex contacted his father as he prepared to reunite with his family for the first time since the historic move. He was apparently "forced to write letters" after a "complete communication breakdown" with Charles, the source claim.
The royal source continued: "He wrote a deeply personal note to his dad to try and set things straight but tensions are still running high and things haven't exactly ironed out the way he had hoped.
"There had been a kind of unspoken agreement between everyone to park whatever has been on each person's mind, and solely concentrate on supporting the Queen ahead of Prince Philip's funeral.
"The feeling inside the camp was that it wasn't the time nor the place to go over things, especially at such an emotional time for everybody involved."
During his Oprah interview last month, Harry revealed he "very let down" by his father who he also accused of cutting him and his wife and son off financially.
Asked about his relationship with Charles, Harry said they were finally speaking again: "There's a lot to work through there, you know? I feel really let down, because he's been through something similar.
"He knows what pain feels like, and Archie's his grandson. 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,"
Telegraph: Desire for physical intimacy while grieving is common but little discussed.