It’s been nearly a year since Prince Harry publicly expressed a desire to rebuild broken bonds with his father, King Charles III, and his older brother, Prince William.
Following months without contact, Harry and his father spoke on the phone for the King’s 75th birthday, according to the Telegraph. The phone call marks a “turning point” in their fractured relationship.
Harry has been at odds with his family since he left his royal duties behind in 2020. He backed his controversial decision in a Netflix docuseries, memoir and series of interviews — which only worsened his familial bonds, despite never intending to “hurt” his family.
“I would like to get my father back; I would like to have my brother back,” but “they’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile,” Harry explained during a January interview with the ITV network.
It seems Charles is ready to reconcile with his son. For his 75th birthday (Nov. 14), the monarch exchanged a “warm conversation” over the phone with his son and daughter-in-law, Meghan Markle, per the Telegraph.
“A striking difference between Charles and William when it comes to their relationships with Harry is there is still a warmth with Harry and Charles,” says Omid Scobie, royal expert and author of upcoming book “Endgame.”
“With Harry, there’s a reluctant acceptance that this is just who his father is,” Scobie continued, per People.
“He would rather have that in his life than to cut it off completely. Hence, when they talk, it is often (Harry) reaching out. And I was surprised to learn that even Meghan (Markle) has some sort of correspondence with Charles, sending over photos of the children, although they’re not directly to him,” adds the author. “So there is a willingness there.”
Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2 are understood to have also celebrated Charles’ recent birthday — the siblings sent their grandfather a video singing him “Happy Birthday,” reports the Telegraph.
Harry did not receive an invite to Charles’ birthday bash
Harry and Meghan allegedly did not make the guest list for King Charles’ 75th birthday party, but the former prince “doesn’t care” he was not invited, a royal expert tells the New York Post.
The king celebrated his birthday launching the Coronation Food Project, which aims to reduce food waste in the U.K. by feeding the hungry with redistributed foods typically put to waste, reports USA Today. Charles expressed a desire to relieve Brits suffering from food insecurity.
“For many years, I have been deeply concerned about the amount of food which goes to waste across our nation,” Charles wrote in an op-ed for Big Issue.
“That, in itself, is a tragedy. But there is a second part to this equation, and that is the extent to which too many families and individuals are missing out on nutritious meals due to the cost of living pressures that have caused hardship for so many right across the country,” the monarch continued.
“To mark my 75th birthday in this Coronation year, I could ask for no greater gift than that the Coronation Food Project creates a lasting legacy to help others — and help the planet.”