The feud between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and the Royal Family has been ongoing for years. Neither side has apologized, and the question remains as to whether their relationship can ever be repaired.
In King Charles’ case, not seeing his son, Harry, and daughter-in-law, Meghan, is undoubtedly sad. But not seeing his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, has been even more challenging, and he’s reportedly desperate to meet them as soon as possible.
While there have been occasions – such as the coronation weekend – for them to reunite, nothing has ever materialized. Meanwhile, King Charles has not visited Harry and his family in the US. Needless to say, as king he has a very packed schedule that likely makes any possible trip across the pond difficult.
No matter what, the feud between Charles, Harry and Meghan will hopefully end soon, if for no other reason than facilitating a better relationship between a grandfather and his grandchildren.
Indeed, if recent reports are to be believed, King Charles is getting increasingly desperate.
There is nothing so important as family. Bitter family feuds can end lifelong relationships and turn family members against each other, and sometimes, the fallout is unrepairable. When that happens, the most tragic aspect is the involvement of children, as it could mean they are left without certain family members through no fault of their own.
Sadly, that seems to have happened within the Royal Family. King Charles basically never gets to see his US-based grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, as a result of his strained relationship with Prince Harry.
As per royal expert Angela Levin, no matter what’s happened between Charles and Harry, the king misses his grandchildren and dearly wants to see them.
King Charles has “hardly” had “any quality time” with Archie and Lilibet
Any parent or grandparent knows how tough it is to be away from your children or grandchildren, even if it’s just for one day. In King Charles’s case, he hasn’t seen Archie or Lilibet in a long time, and it seems to be taking a toll on him.
In his new book OUR KING: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch, royal author Robert Jobson describes Charles’s anguish over Archie and Lilibet, who are sixth and seventh in the line of succession.
Jobson writes that Archie and Lilbet are “always in Charles’ heart,” though the rift between Harry & Meghan and the royals has made things challenging.
“Unfortunately, due to the poor relationship with his second son, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan, Charles has spent hardly any quality time with his other grandchildren, Archie and his sister, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor,” Jobson wrote in his book.
“But those close to him say they are always in his heart. It is one of the reasons he finds the estrangement from his second son so difficult to cope with.”
Charles visited Archie for the first time shortly after the boy was born, when Harry and Meghan still lived at the nearby Frogmore Cottage.
Even so, it’s speculated that even then, Harry and Meghan harbored thoughts of leaving royal life behind and settling in another country.
“A week after Archie was born in May 2019, Charles had gone to see Harry and Meghan at Frogmore Cottage and was thrilled as he cradled the baby boy in his arms,” Jobson explains. “But even then, the Sussexes were planning their escape from the Firm.”
King Charles’ first emotional meeting with Lilibet
Charles has not visited Archie and Lilibet in the US, and so it’s been quite a while since he had a chance to meet them.
Harry, Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet traveled to the UK for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration. During their stay, Lilibet celebrated her first birthday, and Charles was said to be “absolutely thrilled” to see her and her big brother.
At the time, a royal source told BBC that Charles had a “very emotional” first meeting with his youngest granddaughter.
“It was fantastic to see them. It was wonderful to have them back in Britain,” the source said. “The prince and the duchess were absolutely thrilled to see them. He said it was also ‘very, very special’ for [then-Prince] Charles to spend time with his grandson, Archie, now aged three.”
The source added: “He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing.”
While the general line of thinking was that Archie and Lilibet were too young to attend the coronation, King Charles wanted to have his grandchildren present. A source told The Sun that the monarch was “happy” that his son, Harry, would attend his big day. That said, being unable to see Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet was tough on him.
In the fall of last year, there were reports that Charles and Harry were planning peace talks. However, other reports suggested that there was “no chance” Harry would meet with William for ‘peace talks,’ as the future king refuses to see his younger brother.
Sadly, nothing materialized. Though it was said that Harry and his family had been invited to Charles’s 75th birthday, they decided not to attend.
King Charles reportedly ‘desperate’ to see Archie and Lilibet
Royal expert and author Angela Levin told The Sun: “Charles would want Harry and Meghan’s children there. If Harry and Meghan want to make an excuse, that’s their decision. If Harry wants to go to get an apology, then he can get lost.”
Though Harry has repeatedly lashed out at his family via his and Meghan’s Oprah interview, their Netflix series, and Harry’s book, Spare, family will always be family.
Since becoming a father, Harry has created cherished moments he will never forget with his children. At the same time, the Duke has admitted his sadness over them not being shared with his closest relatives.
There were rumors that Harry and Meghan, with their two children, were invited by King Charles to Sandringham to spend Christmas with the royals for the first time in four years.
While King Charles obviously wants to spend time with his US grandchildren – and is said even to be ‘desperate’ to see them – Harry & Meghan were likely not interested in spending time with the people they have accused of many things over the last number of years.
Meanwhile, Kate Middleton was said to have been anxious about having to be in the same room as the Sussexes.
Shortly before Christmas, King Charles got a warning about spending the festive season with Harry, Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet.
“It must be very hurtful for him”
Royal expert and author Ingrid Seward said that even though King Charles wanted Archie and Lilibet there, Christmas would probably not be a good time.
“There’s too much going on, and he won’t be able to concentrate on them,” she told Hello Magazine.
“It would be far better when he sees them in a quiet moment some other time during the year. They will want to come and see him because they’ve got to keep a relationship going.”
Although Seward stated that Christmas wouldn’t have been the best time to meet Archie and Lilibet, others feel differently. Another royal expert, Michael Cole, took aim at Harry and Meghan and their decision to keep their children apart from King Charles, calling it “appalling.”
“Christmas is supposed to be a time for families to come together,” Cole told GB News. Obviously, the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex didn’t get the memo because they will not be taking part.”
He added: “I must spare a word for King Charles. It must be very hurtful for him that he doesn’t see his grandchildren in California, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
Didn’t meet one single time in 2023
“That is appalling. I think ordinary families really ought to try and come together at Christmas time,” Cole concluded, adding that Harry and Meghan should apologize to the monarch.
Ultimately, Harry and Meghan ended up not spending Christmas with King Charles and the royals. There were reports speculating that the Sussexes might’ve opted to celebrate the festive season elsewhere in the UK, but they ended up spending time together in a much warmer climate.
According to the New York Post, Harry and Meghan took Archie and Lilibet to Costa Rica, where they remained for almost a week. According to the Express, this only served to compound Charles’s pain.
“It pains him (King Charles) that he’s yet to meet Lilibet. He would love so much to spend time with Archie as well as Harry, whether it’s one-on-one or with Meghan there too,” wrote the Express.
The beginning of 2023 saw King Charles enter his first full year as monarch. His historic coronation lay ahead, along with many other royal engagements. Yet while his duties were of the utmost importance, he hoped to see Archie and Lilibet as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
“Very sad”
Following Harry and Meghan’s eviction from their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, they have barely been back to the UK, which in the long run has hampered the relationship between King Charles and his grandchildren.
Royal expert Michael Cole simply says it’s “very sad.”
“When the King asked Prince Harry and his wife to vacate Frogmore Cottage, Harry said, ‘Doesn’t the King want to see his grandchildren,’” he told GB News. “Well, the fact is he is not seeing his grandchildren.
“He has hardly seen Prince Archie and I am not sure he has even since Princess Lilibet more than once. It is a very sad state of affairs.”
If you enjoyed this article, perhaps you’d be interested in reading why Meghan decided to say ‘no’ to Archie’s dream wish?
What do you think of this? Should Harry and Meghan do more in order for Archie and Lilibet to meet Charles – or is it on Charles to travel to the US in order to make it happen? Please, share this article on Facebook with friends and family and give us your opinion!
