Prince Harry
Friends betrayed! Camilla wants to avoid a possible meeting with Charles
© Karwai Tang/WireImage / Getty Images
Prince Harry is currently visiting Great Britain, while King Charles is undergoing cancer treatment in Scotland. A meeting between the two men seems unlikely – also because Queen Camilla stands between them.
On the evening of September 30, 2024, Prince Harry, 40, attended the “WellChild” Awards in London. To this day, he is a patron of this organization, which works to ensure that children and young people “with complex health needs can be cared for at home instead of in hospital wherever possible.” Despite his departure from the Royal Family, Harry continues to support “WellChild” and even travels back to Great Britain – his home, where he has not felt comfortable for years.
About two weeks ago, Harry celebrated his 40th birthday and was pleased to receive public congratulations from King Charles, 75, Queen Camilla, 77, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, both 42. It almost seems as if all signs point towards reconciliation. But at second glance it becomes clear: If Harry wants to renew his image in Great Britain and be recognized as a member of the royals again, he must reconcile with Charles – his father, whom he has not seen for over six months.
Prince Harry needs Charles’ affection for his reputation
It’s not just the geographical distance that separates father and son, there are also sensitive sensitivities and strong opinions that stand between them. Tom Skyes, royal correspondent for “The Daily Beast”, writes in a guest article for “The Times” about his conversations around the royal family. The journalist believes Harry wants to “leave all the celebrity nonsense behind him” to build his reputation as a serious philanthropist. Although he doesn’t want his royal life back, he enjoys being on big stages and working for a good cause.
It is this position as a “quasi-royal” that seems to be tailor-made for the 40-year-old, says Skyes. However, the journalist also knows that achieving this role will be “almost impossible” for Harry if he does not reconcile with the crown. New meetings between him and his father could lay the important building blocks for a serious reconciliation. “If Charles were to welcome Harry back into the fold of the family, the nation would probably follow his example; the affection for Diana’s son is great,” Skyes is sure.
A meeting between Harry and Charles is crucial – and unlikely
He believes that what will be important for Harry’s brand will be “whether his father agrees to see him during his stay in his home country.” Although the prince made a truly radiant appearance at the “WellChild Awards”, a meeting with Charles is unlikely. People close to the two men make this clear:
Neither side wanted to tell me definitively whether a meeting would take place […] is planned, but everything so far suggests that this is not the case. The king is in Scotland gathering his strength for an upcoming trip to Australia. The Queen, her friends have told me, is very careful not to cause unnecessary stress to Charles and does not encourage a meeting.
Charles and Harry are believed to have last seen each other in February this year, after the worried son rushed to see the monarch, whose cancer had recently been made public. Tom Skyes believes – in view of the reports about the ongoing hustle and bustle surrounding Duchess Meghan, 43, – further: “If Harry is not able to steer the story away from the banter we have seen this month, perhaps he will never find the way back.”
Sources used: thetimes.com, wellchild.org.uk