Prince Harry looking to reconcile with King Charles, royal family
Royal commentator and broadcaster Neil Sean weighs in on the new interview from Prince Harry.
As King Charles prepares to put on a united front with his family at this year's Trooping the Colour, the monarch and estranged son Prince Harry are nowhere near ending their rift.
"There is no turning back," British royals expert Hilary Fordwich claimed to Fox News Digital.
"King Charles remains tender towards his son but can’t risk communication," she shared. "Prince William now has absolutely no interest in mending fences. Those close to the king say he [shouldn’t] make peace with Harry in a way that would burden Prince William’s future reign. The animosity is so deep that William has shut the door on Harry. Charles is not willing to go against his heir’s wishes."
Royal experts claimed to Fox News Digital that King Charles III is still hesitant to make amends with his son Prince Harry. (DAVID ROSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"Everything comes down to trust and the lack of it," Fordwich added.
Fordwich’s comments came shortly after insiders told People magazine that the monarch, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, is hesitant to reconnect with his son. Many royal observers believe it’s the monarch who should take the first step in igniting a royal reconciliation.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023, in London. (Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"The underlying issue is trust," royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told the outlet. "The king and William don’t trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation."
King Charles III and his heir, Prince William, are seen separately from Prince Harry during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on September 14, 2022. (DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Insiders told the outlet that the king, 76, isn’t surrounded by palace aides urging him to reconcile with his son. Meanwhile, William is said to have "no interest" in extending an olive branch.
"There is not a good angel in [the king’s] ear to say, ‘Be a good dad and make the first move,’" royal author Valentine Low told the outlet.
Several royal experts claimed that King Charles III is still having trouble trusting his son. (Jordan Pettitt - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
WATCH: PRINCE HARRY LOOKING TO RECONCILE WITH KING CHARLES, ROYAL FAMILY
Fordwich claimed that Harry has crossed such a deep line in Charles’s eyes that it’s been difficult for the king to forgive his son. Sources close to Harry previously claimed to People magazine that Charles won’t respond to his letters or phone calls.
"It’s Harry’s criticisms of Queen Camilla [in his memoir, ‘Spare’], as well as his broader attacks on the family and institution, which have seriously crossed a line for the king and those closest to him," Fordwich claimed.
The palace has given infrequent updates about the king's cancer diagnosis. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
"The king is now so puzzled by Harry’s constant revelations. It’s now beyond sensitive to discuss, so he avoids all interaction regarding the subject. He is so kind but overwhelmed and has quite enough on his plate to deal with, without all this from his son."
Prince Harry told the BBC, "I don’t know how much longer my father has." The monarch, 76, was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024. (Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
Harry’s troubled relationship with his family and the U.K. establishment has played out in public for years – in books, interviews, TV programs and the courts.
Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing the unbearable intrusions of the British press and a lack of support from the palace. That same year, they moved to California.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have detailed their struggles with royal life. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Since the couple’s royal exit, they have aired their grievances and made blistering allegations against the royal family. Harry’s explosive 2023 memoir, "Spare," was stuffed with private details and embarrassing revelations.
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Prince Harry's explosive memoir, "Spare," was published in January 2023. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Harry’s rift with his family burst into the open once more with a raw interview he gave to the BBC in May after losing a court case over his security. In a long and at times emotional conversation, Harry said he wanted reconciliation. He admitted that his father, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, won’t speak to him.
"Harry’s ill-timed recent interview on the BBC highlighted the lack of trust between them publicly," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital. "He seemed to believe his father could and should solve the issue of security, which he insists he and his family should have."
The British royal family are expected to put on a united front at this year's Trooping the Colour ceremony. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
"The rift, sadly, seems likely to remain toxic as there is no mutual trust between them," said Fitzwilliams. "Hopefully, it will not worsen as the Sussexes could give further interviews or possibly write more about the feud, something that is invariably remunerative for them."
A source recently told Us Weekly that it's unlikely Prince William and Prince Harry would reconcile even after King Charles's death. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
Low told People magazine that despite Harry’s call for peace on the BBC, his comments were seen as another blow to the royals. During the interview, Harry, who has met his father only once, briefly, since his diagnosis early last year, said, "I don’t know how much longer my father has."
"It wasn’t meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one," said Low. "It makes Charles reaching out even harder."
Charles became king upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that the royals take great pride in protecting their public image. They’ve maintained the late Queen Elizabeth II’s motto of keep calm and carry on.
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The British royal family are said to be following the royal motto favored by the late Queen Elizabeth II: Keep calm and carry on. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
"The royals play a positive role to the cameras," he explained. "[But] behind the scenes, they allegedly are constantly bickering with each other… King Charles has a past reputation for not making advances on difficult decisions."
A source recently claimed to Us Weekly that William was "absolutely appalled" by Harry’s comments to the BBC about their father’s health. The insider claimed that the 42-year-old feels like Harry stooped "so low."
Royal experts told Fox News Digital that Prince William is fiercely protective of his father. (Mikolaj Barbanell/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Royal experts previously told Fox News Digital that William is fiercely protective of Charles. The source also told the outlet that it’s unlikely that the feuding brothers will reunite while their father is still alive.
King Charles III at Trooping the Colour in 2024. This year's festivities take place on June 14, 2025. (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
"The funeral of Charles would be the first time that courtiers would imagine [them reuniting]," said the insider. "I can’t imagine William would invite Harry to his coronation."
Despite infrequent updates from the palace about his health, Charles has returned to a full slate of public duties. During his sit-down with the BBC, Harry held out little hope of another meeting with his father.
King Charles III is seen with his two sons before the Duke of Sussex made his royal exit. (Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
"The only time I come back to the U.K. is, sadly, for funerals or court cases," he said.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Fitzwilliams said that Charles must address his ongoing rift with Harry, 40, as it remains a dark cloud over his reign.
"We are now less than a fortnight away from Trooping the Colour, which celebrates the monarch’s birthday," he said. "King Charles can surely congratulate himself on negotiating a year where he has worked so hard and achieved a great deal despite battling cancer."
"The one area that remains problematic is the rift with the Sussexes. He has only seen Prince Harry once after his diagnosis and then fleetingly."
Prince William is seen here during the king's coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023. (Yui Mok, Pool via AP)
Back in 2024, Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," claimed to Fox News Digital that the king is still unable to forgive his son for casting Camilla as the villain in "Spare."
"I think people have to realize that the one thing that Charles finds unforgivable is criticism of Camilla," said Andersen at the time.
Queen Camilla has been supporting King Charles during his cancer journey. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
"There’s no criticism of Camilla," Andersen claimed. "And unfortunately for Harry… Harry said some pretty devastating things about her. He made it clear that he felt she was… the villain in the piece. I think that still bothers the king, and I don’t know that it will be easy for him to [forgive]. I don’t think they’ll ever forgive Harry for that."
WATCH: PRINCE HARRY'S JABS AT QUEEN CAMILLA UNFORGIVABLE FOR KING CHARLES: EXPERT
"[He’s] on his own," Andersen added, referring to the Duke of Sussex.
In televised interviews to promote the book, Harry accused his stepmother, 77, of leaking private conversations to the media to burnish her own reputation. He accused members of the royal family of getting "into bed with the devil" to gain favorable tabloid coverage, singling out Camilla’s efforts to rehabilitate her image with the public after her longtime affair with his father.
Ahead of the release of his memoir "Spare," Prince Harry had storylines leaked to the press. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023)
"That made her dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press," Harry told CBS ahead of his book launch. "There was open willingness on both sides to trade information. And with a family built on hierarchy, and with her on the way to being queen consort, there was going to be people or bodies left in the street."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California in 2020. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in the wealthy coastal city of Montecito with their two young children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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