King Charles III allegedly wants to end his ongoing rift with his estranged son Prince Harry — but not for the sake of fatherly love.
“Ultimately Charles has not just a personal but also a strategic need to resolve the issue,” a former palace staffer told the Daily Beast in an article published Friday.
The insider pointed out that Charles, 74, and Harry, 39, have not been photographed together “in years.”
“It’s not sustainable for the king, who is the national symbol of unity, to be on such bad terms with his son,” the source added.
The royal insider explained that the feud is “essentially a family matter” that won’t be resolved with the help of Charles’ advisors. Instead, the fate of Charles’ relationship with Harry could fall into the hands of Queen Camilla.
“The division between state and family is sacrosanct so Camilla will be pivotal in all this,” the source said of Charles’ wife. “She is the only one who will be in a position to advise him who he will listen to.
“She is a pragmatist and I’m sure she understands the importance of putting this saga to bed.”
A friend of the monarchs also revealed that the King is seeking a resolution with the Duke of Sussex, regardless of whether or not his son apologizes for airing the royal family’s dirty laundry in his “Spare” memoir and multiple scathing tell-all interviews.
“It has been reported that Charles wants an apology from Harry, but that’s far from the case,” the friend claimed. “[Charles] wouldn’t expect that. He knows the Windsors are a stubborn lot and Harry is no exception. The quid-pro-quo is, can Harry accept that he won’t be getting an apology either?”
The pal added that Charles “wants to hit the reset button—but not at any price.”
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Reports that Charles had welcomed Harry to visit Balmoral Castle is “clearly a positive sign that things are moving in the right direction,” the friend claimed.
Harry didn’t up seeing his dad at Balmoral earlier this month and instead made a quick pit stop in the UK before attending the Invictus Games with his wife, Meghan Markle, in Germany.
“The Harry issue doesn’t have to be sorted out immediately but it will be sorted out eventually,” the friend asserted.
“Charles loves Harry but his priority is to fulfill his duty as king and not let his mother down. That means constitutional considerations have to come first.”
Meanwhile, sources told the website that Prince William has no plans to forgive his brother.
Harry has been on the outs with Charles and the Prince of Wales since he and Markle resigned from their royal duties in 2020 and moved to Montecito, Calif., where they now reside with their two kids: Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2.
While Charles has remained open to reuniting with Harry, he doesn’t seem so keen on seeing Markle.
Last year, Markle reportedly asked for a one-on-one meeting with Charles to “clear the air” following Queen Elizabeth II’s death last September, but her request was never granted and she has since kept her distance from the King.
Harry’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
