King Charles Is ‘Subtly Punishing’ Prince Harry, Author Says: ‘It’s Very Standoffish’
After everything that’s happened — accusations, interviews, and a memoir, just to name a few — King Charles III is “subtly punishing” Prince Harry. A royal author says the king’s making his youngest son, the Duke of Sussex, go the “business” route to talk.
The king is ‘punishing’ Harry by making him communicate through advisors after ‘betrayal’
Since the coronation reports have gone back and forth on whether or not Harry and King Charles are speaking. Although it seems for now, at least, the father and son may not be in direct communication. King Charles is open to reconciling. However, he experienced a “betrayal,” which still stings, Duncan Larcombe, a royal author, told The Sun.
As such, King Charles only communicated with Harry through palace advisors. It started, per Larcombe, after Harry “snubbed” the king’s offer to stay with him at Balmoral Castle in Scotland ahead of the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Dubbed by some a “missed opportunity” by Harry, Larcombe noted the king’s being “very standoffish” as of late. “It’s very standoffish. But I think that’s a way that the king is subtly punishing his son,” he said, noting how Harry made “some deeply hurtful” comments about Queen Camilla in Spare.
King Charles is taking a ‘business as usual’ approach with Prince Harry
Just because he’s the monarch’s son doesn’t mean Harry can simply stop by Buckingham Palace or Clarence House to see his dad. Sure, he can show up at the palace, but the king’s not making himself readily available. At least not right away. That’s because, according to Larcombe, King Charles has a professional-minded “approach.”
“It appears that King Charles’ approach towards [sic] Harry now is business as usual,” Larcombe said. Harry, he explained, will have to “jump through hoops” to meet face-to-face. The reason is that his father has an ‘If you want to see me, you need to make an appointment’ policy for now.
He added it’s “remarkable” Charles is even considering a relationship with Harry after the 39-year-old rejected his “olive branch,” an invite to stay at Balmoral Castle.
Harry “took [it], snapped in half, and then hit him with it,” the author said. Despite the rejection, King Charles has “those channels of communication open.”
Everything between Harry and the king must be resolved ‘eventually,’ not ‘immediately’
It seems there’s no sense of urgency when it comes to reuniting father and son. “The Harry issue doesn’t have to be sorted out immediately. But it will be sorted out eventually,” a source told The Daily Beast.
While “Charles loves Harry,” the 74-year-old’s “priority is to fulfill his duty as king and not let his mother down. That means constitutional considerations have to come first.”
At the same time, starting over with Harry should, an unnamed former Buckingham Palace staffer told the outlet, happen sooner rather than later.
“It’s not sustainable for the king, who is the national symbol of unity, to be on such bad terms with his son that they haven’t been pictured together in years,” they said. “Ultimately, Charles has not just a personal but also a strategic need to resolve the issue.”
