Just when it seems like Prince Harry‘s relationship with King Charles was taking a step in the right direction, they might actually be taking two steps back instead. Following reports on Harry’s recent meeting with his dad while visiting the UK, the Duke of Sussex has issued a statement setting the record straight, and apparently, Charles (and the rest of the royal family) are none too pleased to hear what his take on their meeting was.
Reports claimed that Harry felt like an “official visitor” while meeting with his dad earlier this month.
Harry and Charles met for the first time in well over a year at Clarence House earlier this month. Though their visit was a rather short one, coming in at just under an hour, it seemed to be a positive sign for the future of their father/son relationship after years of tension and estrangement.
But on September 26, The Sun reported that Harry had told his friends that he felt more like an “official visitor” than family during the meeting, which the source described as “distinctly formal.”
Harry called the reports “categorically false.”
In an effort to clear up the reports about the meeting, Harry’s spokesperson released a rare statement to multiple outlets including People, shutting down the rumors as soon as they began.
“Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false,” the statement said. “The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son.
His spokesperson even confirmed that he brought a gift for King Charles.
At the time, Harry’s statement also confirmed that he’d brought a gift to his father — likely a photo of his children, Archie and Lili.
“While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity, we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however, the image did not contain the Duke and Duchess,” the statement concluded.
Now, Charles is reportedly “saddened and perplexed” by Harry’s statement.
A palace source told The Sunday Times that the statement left the royals with the impression that Harry was trying to accuse courtiers of “sabotaging” his attempts to get back in the King’s good graces. Apparently, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“The reality is that senior aides have been working behind the scenes to improve what is a delicate but important private family relationship,” the insider said.
Only time will tell if Harry’s invited back for another meeting, but hopefully, this didn’t do too much damage to the progress he and his dad have made so far.
