Did Prince Charles Really Just Praise Prince Harry About This?
Prince Charles' relationship with his youngest son, Prince Harry, is said to be on the rocks since Harry and his wife Meghan Markle opted to exit the royal family in early 2020. However, in March 2021 when Harry and Meghan sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey where they dropped major bombshells about the firm, things went from bad to worse. Charles was reportedly "in a state of despair" over the interview (via Vanity Fair).
While the past two years have been hard for the royal family, it seems that there could be brighter times ahead. In December 2021, royal expert Stewart Pearce told Us Weekly that Charles and Harry were making strides to improve their relationship, and that the father and son have "absolutely" worked through some of the tension between them.
"It's just their style of managing that level of emotional intensity is completely different, you know?" the author said. "Prince Charles is, by nature, a very shy man and like [sic] to [be by] himself. That doesn't mean he's uncaring ... he just finds demonstration or emotional display ... [to be] really difficult." Pearce added that, while Charles often "closes down" his emotions, Harry is "more forthcoming" with his feelings.
Now, fans believe that Charles may be trying to reach out to Harry in a very public way.
Did Charles offer Harry an olive branch in his new essay?
Prince Charles opened up about a subject that has been very important to many members of the royal family over the years in a New Year essay (via The Mirror). In his writing, the Prince of Wales spoke out about climate change and called for urgent action to help save the environment. In the essay, Charles was sure to praise both of his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, for the work they've done to help and raise awareness for climate change over the years.
"Most recently, my elder son, William, launched the prestigious Earthshot Prize to incentivise change and help repair our planet over the next ten years by identifying and investing in the technologies that can make a difference," Charles wrote. "And my younger son, Harry, has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in relation to Africa, and committed his charity to being net-zero," he added.
Many are now considering Charles' public praise of Harry an olive branch after Queen Elizabeth spoke at the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow in November 2021 and applauded both Charles and William for their work in raising awareness for the issue. However, she did not mention Harry's name during her speech.
Only time will tell if Charles and Harry can mend their relationship and possibly even work together in their efforts to address climate change, but many fans are hoping that 2022 will be the year that the royals can end their rift.