Queen Camilla Reportedly Wants ‘Hugely Conflicted’ King Charles to Stay Away From Prince Harry
King Charles III will avoid Prince Harry if his wife, Queen Camilla, has anything to say about it. The queen’s reportedly “imploring” her husband, the leader of the British royal family, to steer clear of the Duke of Sussex. The situation is, perhaps unsurprisingly, putting King Charles in a tough spot between his wife and younger son.
Camilla wants Charles ‘to keep his distance’ from Harry
Sources told Us Weekly Camilla’s “imploring” King Charles “to keep his distance” from Harry. As a result, per the publication, “it’s putting the King in a difficult position.”
“Camilla dislikes Harry and doesn’t want Charles to get stressed while he’s undergoing treatment. So she tries to limit interaction,” a source said.
After being diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in February 2024, the king returned to public duties in late April 2024.
Through it all, the 75-year-old monarch “is holding out hope of salvaging” his relationship with Harry. At the same time, he’s said to be “hugely conflicted because Harry has hurt [Prince] William and Camilla so much.” At the same time, “Harry has also been hurt,” they said.
Harry and Meghan Markle’s eponymous Netflix docuseries made Camilla “furious,” another source told the outlet. “Then, when Spare [debuted], Camilla was saddened about what was said about her. She was heartbroken and confused.”
Meanwhile, royal biographer Christopher Andersen “sees the fine hand of Camilla” in King Charles freezing out Harry. “She’s focused on her husband’s health, and injecting Harry into the equation will only cause more turmoil.”
King Charles and Harry’s callousness and betrayal
Andersen, who wrote The King: The Life of Charles III, continued. He described the 75-year-old freezing out his youngest son as “a little callous.”
“The late Queen Elizabeth [II] said she wanted Harry to be considered part of the family, always,” the author said.
Then there’s Harry and his brother, the Prince of Wales’ long-held feelings of resentment toward their stepmother. The brothers “have always resented Camilla,” Andersen said, noting how they begged King Charles not to remarry after their mother Princess Diana’s death.
They “only grudgingly agreed to go along with the charade if Charles kept his promise not to make her Queen,” he explained. “That title would have gone to Diana if Camilla hadn’t broken up their parents’ marriage. When Charles broke that promise, William and Harry felt betrayed.”
As for Harry’s unflattering descriptions and accusations about Camilla in interviews and most notably, Spare, it still bothers King Charles. “Charles harbors a lot of anger towards [sic] Harry,” an insider told UsWeekly. “He’s always been very protective of Camilla. It’s not easy for him to forgive people who have scorned her.”
The king’s reportedly considering a U.S. visit to see Harry and the Sussex family
Royal author Tom Quinn told The Mirror that King Charles has discussed the possibility of a U.S. visit to spend time with the Sussexes, who have lived in Montecito, California, since leaving royal life in 2020.
“Charles has had discussions about an official visit to the United States at some time in the future,” Quinn said. “And there is no doubt if it goes ahead, he would build in time to visit his youngest son and his grandchildren.”
Harry and Meghan are parents of two, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. The kids are believed to have seen King Charles once—in person—since their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, became non-working royals.
“King Charles has privately visited many other countries. He made an unpublicized visit to Transylvania, for example, to check up on his rental properties,” he continued. “So it’s certainly possible that he would make a discreet, private visit to Harry and the children in California.”
“He is desperate to see them and hates the idea that Archie and Lili will not remember him as the warm, friendly grandfather he wants to be, Quinn added.
It’s still a long shot, the Gilded Youth author noted, telling the outlet: “There are mountains of planning to be overcome before that becomes even a remote possibility.”
Plus, being “closer to Harry” and having a relationship “that actually works” would hinge upon “Harry giving his father cast-iron guarantees that there will be no more books and no more embarrassing interviews.”
As for Queen Camilla’s take on a potential U.S. trip, Quinn claimed it’s OK by her as she wants the king to be close with all of his grandchildren.
