King Charles has reportedly been left 'saddened' following his son Prince Harry's spokesperson's claim that insiders were 'sabotaging' their reconciliation.
It's been a rocky road when it comes to the father-son duo ever since Harry stepped down as a senior royal in 2020 and relocated to the US with his wife, Meghan Markle.
Tensions grew following the publication of Harry's bombshell memoir Spare and his various interviews and documentaries, where he alleged a series of royal family wrongs.
But then, earlier this month (10 September), the pair sat down for their long-awaited reunion, just a few months after Harry publicly expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family in May.
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The meeting, which lasted just under an hour, was the first time the pair saw each other in 19 months, with their last meeting being in February of last year, when the Duke promptly left his home in California to go to the UK to see Charles following his cancer diagnosis.
Now, a report published last week (26 September), by The Sun, suggested that the reunion had been more formal than expected, with Harry reportedly feeling like he was being treated as an official visitor instead of family.
The outlet claimed that Harry was 'surprised by the formalities' of their reunion, which was described as 'awkward' and likened to an audience with dignitaries and official visitors.
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Harry was also said to have described the meeting as 'very official, like an official visit'.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Harry said that such claims were 'pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son'.
In his statement on Saturday (27 September), Harry also made sure to correct part of the outlet's report about the gifts that had been exchanged during the reunion meeting.
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The Sun had initially reported that a framed photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's family was exchanged but Harry's spokesperson outlined: "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."
An earlier statement from Harry's spokesman to the Sun read: "The trip back was about focusing on his patronages and supporting his good causes while also having time to catch up with family and friends."
In the latest development, Charles is said to be saddened by his youngest son's claim that aides were 'sabotaging' their reconciliation, with a Buckingham Palace source stating that such a suggestion that the institution was out to damage the pair's relationship was 'counterproductive'.
The source told The Telegraph: "It’s very sad, especially because everyone has been working hard behind the scenes to make the private relationship work."
Topics: King Charles III, Royal Family, Prince Harry
Rhiannon Ingle