Explaining The Royal Rift Between King Charles & His Sons

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, stepped down from their royal duties in 2020, there was a sense of calm on both sides. Harry and Meghan began to look forward to a normal family life across the pond, while the rest of the British royals hoped to go about their business as usual. Speaking to Us Weekly about this moment, royal expert Christopher Andersen, recalled, "I think that maybe they had hoped that when Meghan and Harry left the U.K., it wouldn't just be a relief for them — it would be a relief for the family, and they could all get on with doing the things they wanted."

Of course, that is not what actually happened. Within one year of Harry and Meghan's royal exit, the pair sat down with Oprah Winfrey to discuss issues within the palace. In a shocking March 2021 interview, the couple alleged that certain members of the royal family had speculated about the color of their son, Prince Archie's, skin. And, the Sussexes didn't stop their tell-alls there. A few Netflix appearances and one memoir later, Harry and Meghan clarified their view that a culture of toxicity surrounds the British royal family. All this begs the question — will the pair ever reconcile with King Charles III and Prince William? Unfortunately, the answer is complicated, as the dynamics between Harry, William, and Charles have experienced years of turbulence.

For many members of the public, the feud between Prince Harry and King Charles III was catalyzed by Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. However, rumor has it that tensions started brewing years before the prince ever considered a royal exit. The reason? Charles had injected a degree of formality into his relationships with his sons. Rank and hierarchy are elements that are intrinsic to royal life, and as one palace insider told People, "He is their father and their boss, and they are beholden to him to fund their offices and lives." Because of this, neither Prince William nor Harry has been able to approach Charles as a traditional father figure. "There has always been this complicated relationship with their dad," added the same source.

One of the primary issues of discord among the three apparently pertains to the family budget. According to another individual close to the family, Harry and William have rarely been able to access funds without Charles' permission. Or, as they claimed in their chat with People, "Tension between Charles and the boys has always surrounded money, because Charles is the one who holds all the power." This has allegedly led to a number of serious disagreements, potentially including Harry's requests for security in the United Kingdom. 

Things between the trio only worsened in December 2022 when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex released their revelation-filled Netflix documentary, "Harry & Meghan." The mini-series made a number of serious accusations against the royal family, alleging that the palace had planted false stories about Meghan in the press. Prince William came across particularly badly in the series, as Harry accused him of raising his voice during a disagreement. "It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that simply weren't true," Harry said in the documentary (via People).

According to some royal experts, Harry and Meghan's decision to publicize these issues could be viewed as more than just an interpersonal grudge. "They keep raking over all of this stuff and they keep bringing it back up again. It seems a bit like they have a vendetta against the family," opined author Christopher Andersen in an interview with Us Weekly. He also noted that King Charles III and Prince William probably didn't react well to the series. "William has a tremendous temper. Charles has a tremendous temper. It's just not gonna be a pretty sight there," Andersen claimed.

Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, have made plenty of shocking claims against the British royal family, some people close to the situation believe that the couple aren't telling the whole story. The motivation? The big claims that Harry made about Prince William in his 2023 tell-all memoir, "Spare," were especially damaging. After all, Harry wrote that William physically assaulted him, claiming, that the elder prince "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and ... knocked me to the floor" (via The Guardian). This description of William as hot-headed and out-of-control would have been deeply embarrassing, as it doesn't exactly paint him as deserving of the crown.

In the view of at least one palace insider, these tensions may point to something greater. Speaking to Page Six, former butler, Grant Harrold, shared, "I was genuinely shocked when they fell out. There must be something deeper going on that we're not being told." Why does Harrold think so? Well, apparently, William and Harry used to be really close. "The two of them were not just the best of friends, they were inseparable," the butler recalled. "At Highgrove, they were always together. They were walking together, in the pub together, on motorbikes together." The brothers' sudden shift from besties to enemies shook Harrold, leaving him to wonder what really caused the rift.

Following Prince Harry's Netflix documentary series and tell-all memoir, King Charles III apparently needed a bit of space. In the summer of 2024, some reports indicated that Charles was no longer speaking to his youngest son. As a source close to Harry commented to People at the time, "He gets 'unavailable right now.' His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King's health, but those calls go unanswered too." As much as Harry reportedly tried to get in contact with his father, his efforts were for naught. Speaking to Page Six, Charles' former butler, Grand Harrold, noted that speaking with Harry was not necessarily straight-forward: "[W]hat's to say there won't be another book, Netflix series or interview about it?"

Prince William also stopped speaking to Harry in light of his tell-alls. And, just like Charles, the heir to the throne felt an immense loss of closeness with Harry. "There's a great sense of mistrust, it's why William won't speak to Harry, because he is nervous that anything he says might end up in a book or a TV series," an insider noted in a conversation with Vanity Fair. "It makes it incredibly difficult for any kind of rapprochement."

King Charles III and Prince Harry may have fostered something of an unorthodox father-son relationship, but that doesn't mean that the monarch doesn't care about his youngest son. To the contrary, reports indicated that Charles found himself missing Harry in 2024. The timing of this change of heart may be significant, as in February of that year, King Charles was diagnosed with cancer.  A source close to the king even told the Daily Mail, "Harry will always be Charles's much-loved son. He has faith that Harry could return. He misses the bond they once had, and the door will always remain open to him and his family."

As much as Charles wished that Harry might return, however, there was another member of the royal family who opposed this idea with all his might. Prince William reportedly stood strong against any attempt to bring Harry back into the royal fold. According to at least one royal expert, this could be partially as a result of William's desire to emulate his role model, Prince Philip. As Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital, "Prince William is the most unlikely royal to ever forgive Harry for all his despicable indiscretions. He is now very much seen and accepted as the family enforcer, taking on the hard-line ruler role of his grandfather, Prince Philip."

Because of their differing attitudes toward Prince Harry, Prince William and King Charles III began to experience some level of tension. While Charles seemed open to giving Harry a second chance, William wholeheartedly opposed this move. Making matters worse, it is believed that the heir has worried about his father's judgement when it comes to extending forgiveness to errant royals — particularly Charles' younger brother, Prince Andrew. As one of William's friends told the Daily Beast, "William always said, 'Just cut Andrew off completely. It's not appropriate to have an alleged sex offender breaking bread with the royal family.'" Andrew was accused of sexual abuse in 2022.

Despite William's concerns, the king was apparently keen on giving his sibling a second chance. Per the aforementioned insider, "Charles was so desperate to be seen as embodying the spirit of Christian forgiveness that he let Andrew back in." This decision apparently sparked a serious disagreement between Charles and William. "William was right about Andrew, and he is right about Harry," William's friend insisted. Charles, however, was not so sure about permanently cutting off either member of the royal family, instead choosing to remain open-minded about both men.

When it comes to the possibility of publicly airing his grievances with King Charles III, Prince William has refused to follow in Prince Harry's footsteps. However, that does not mean that Charles and William lack a number of private disagreements. In fact, the pair are said to hold diverging views on the monarchy and its future. As one ex-palace staffer told the Daily Beast, "Charles believes in tradition and continuity above all. William thinks many aspects of his father's approach are outdated, preferring a more modern interpretation of monarchy."

Unfortunately, Charles and William's disagreement vis à vis Harry has allegedly accentuated these tensions. If Charles has ever felt that extending an olive branch to Harry was a part of his duty as king, William has persisted in his belief that the younger prince cannot be trusted. What's more, William is rumored to be planning a smaller, more scaled-back version of the monarchy under his future reign. This would likely mean that Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex would not have a role in the institution. Other minor royals would also possibly be asked to step back. Per the same staffer, "To William, continuing to run the monarchy as though it were still an Edwardian institution feels absurd."

Regardless of King Charles III and Prince William's differing feelings toward Prince Harry, one thing remained clear — there would be no chance of a family reunion without the collaboration of the Sussexes. In May 2025, Harry began to demonstrate an interest in reconnecting with the royal family. In an interview with the BBC, he stated, "I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point continuing to fight anymore, life is precious." He also hinted about the way that Charles' cancer diagnosis had impacted him, commenting that he wasn't sure how much longer his father might live.

Harry also said that he missed the U.K. and expressed a desire to visit more often. "I love my country, I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done... and I think that it's really quite sad that I won't be able to show my children my homeland," the prince lamented. Despite these feelings, Harry maintained that he would not visit his country until the government agreed to provide security for his family.

King Charles III seemed to respond well to Prince Harry's bid for reconnection. In the months following Harry's BBC interview, Charles' team began orchestrating a possible meeting between the father and son. And, while William was likely not a fan of these steps, reports indicate that he did not actively oppose them. As a friend of the heir's told the Daily Beast, "Ultimately, William is a loyal soldier. He respects his father's rank, and he respects his father's right to make his own decisions, and he won't make a fuss if it happens."

Of course, just because William did not fight against a meeting between Charles and Harry does not mean that he had any interest in meeting with his brother himself. It seems that Harry's interest in a reconciliation did nothing to change William's mind. Or, as the aforementioned friend put it in the same interview, "He thinks a Harry meeting is a terrible, terrible idea." Another source close to William told The Sunday Times that the prince has decided to step back from the situation, stating, "It used to be that the family stuff was taking up a lot of space in his head ... But he's not letting it get to him at all anymore."

King Charles III and Prince Harry have long had a rocky relationship, but that didn't prevent the two from exploring the possibility of a reconciliation. In July 2025, both royals sent their respective teams to a secret meeting at a London club. What was initially meant to be a peace offering, though, quickly turned sour when representatives of the tabloid, Mail on Sunday, photographed the moment. Because the meeting was supposed to be very hush-hush, accusations of a leak quickly ensued. At the time, Newsweek reported that Harry's team told the press that they hadn't informed the tabloid of the event details. In its usual fashion, Buckingham Palace left no comment.

Unfortunately, however, the leak accentuated the tensions that have long existed between Harry and his father. On one hand, Harry has shown mistrust toward the palace, which he has accused of planting stories about his wife in the press. On the other, Charles has shown mistrust toward Harry, no thanks to the prince's history of tell-alls. Writing for The Telegraph, royal expert Victoria Ward claimed that the leak would possibly set back any efforts toward a family reunion: "The leak has jeopardized the fragile peace operation, creating further suspicion and distrust on both sides and potentially sending them back to square one." It quickly became clear that a simple meeting between Harry and Charles would not be particularly straight-forward.

On September 10, 2025, King Charles III and Prince Harry met for tea at Clarence House. The reunion marked the first time that the father and son sat in the same room in about a year and a half. Although Prince William reportedly opted out of the tea, every indication suggested that the meeting went well. Following the father-son reunion, Harry seemed in good spirits, even telling the press of his father, "Yes, he's great" (via BBC).

People close to the king soon indicated that things between Charles and Harry are on the mend. As one insider told the Daily Mail, "It's become clear that Harry now regrets some of his actions. He wants to reset his relationship with his family and with the people of the UK." Will Harry ever rejoin the family as a working royal? Not likely, said the source. "It's hard to see him ever coming back to live in Britain but this may be the start of something that at least allows them to be a functioning wider family again."

King Charles III is not the only member of the British royal family who might be willing to give Prince Harry a second change. Princess Catherine may also be open to a reconciliation — despite the fact that her husband, Prince William, remains staunchly opposed to any sort of family reunion. Describing Catherine's alleged stance to RadarOnline, a source close to the situation claimed, "Kate's willing to do anything she can to end this feud. It's torn the family apart, and she doesn't want the next generation — her kids or their cousins — to be carrying this on their shoulders."

Apparently, Catherine believes that meeting with Harry would be an important first step toward peace. And, interestingly, rumor has it that she wouldn't be opposed to welcoming the prince back into the royal fold as of this publication. "She's convinced a face-to-face with Harry — who she hears has been dropping hints about wanting to return home for a while now — will make a difference ... she wants to help him come home, and the only way is to rebuild trust with William and the family," alleged the same insider. Prince Harry and Princess Catherine had a close relationship before it was rocked by royal scandal.