In his 2023 memoir Spare, Prince Harry described his father, King Charles, as a man who often struggles to express his emotions and who was not prepared to be a single father. Though Charles definitely “tried” to be a good father to his children, Harry has suggested that his emotional needs were not met during his childhood, and years later, he’d go on to leave the United Kingdom and step down as a working royal.
After everything that happened, one royal expert believes that Charles might have some regrets when it comes to how he raised Harry and Prince William.
King Charles was reportedly ‘cold’ as a parent.
When describing Charles in his memoir, Harry painted a picture of a man who is not typically outwardly emotional.
“He had trouble communicating, trouble listening, trouble being intimate face-to-face,” Harry described in Spare, per Town and Country magazine. “On occasion, after a long multi-course dinner, I’d walk upstairs and find a letter on my pillow. The letter would say how proud he was of me for something I’d done or accomplished. I’d smile, place it under my pillow, but also wonder why he hadn’t said this moments ago, while seated directly across from me.”
Previously, a royal insider told RadarOnline.com that Harry strives to be a more “affectionate” parent because of the “coldness” he experienced during his own childhood.
He wasn’t strict, though.
In spite of claims that Charles is not good at expressing his emotions or showing affection toward his loved ones, his parenting style has been described as fairly gentle in other ways. In fact, royal expert Ingrid Seward thinks Charles probably regrets not being a bit stricter. According to the Daily Mail, she described King Charles as an “indulgent father,” perhaps to his own detriment.
“Had Charles been firmer with Harry – and, to some extent, William – in their formative years, they might not have caused him so much worry,” Ingrid said.
Harry previously explained that his father probably wasn’t completely ready to be a parent.
“He’d always given an air of being not quite ready for parenthood–the responsibilities, the patience, the time,” Harry wrote in Spare, per Town and Country.
“To be fair, he tried,” Harry acknowledged. “Evenings, I’d shout downstairs: Going to bed, Pa! He’d always shout back cheerfully: I’ll be there shortly, darling boy! … I have the fondest memories of his hands on my cheeks, my forehead, then waking to find him gone, magically, the door always considerately left open a crack.”
Charles likely does have some regrets.
Previously, when speaking to Fox News Digital, Ingrid said Harry and Charles were “very, very close” at one point in time. After Princess Diana‘s tragic death, Charles reportedly “went on with Diana’s free style of bringing up children,” Ingrid alleged.
“Diana allowed them to do, more or less, what they wanted, which was very fashionable in those days. You let children just get on with things,” she claimed. “I think Charles probably regrets that he wasn’t a bit stricter, because it might’ve given both boys a few more boundaries.”
In spite of the tension, Harry will always love his father.
Years after Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals and moved to the United States, royal fans continue to wonder about the tension between Harry and Charles. During his bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry said there was “a lot of hurt,” but attempting to “heal that relationship” was a priority for him.
“I will always love him,” Harry said of his father.
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