On King Charles III’s 75th birthday, a phone call between him and his son, Prince Harry, marked a potential turning point in their strained relationship.
The call, their first conversation in over six months, was seen as a gesture of reconciliation from Prince Harry, who lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their kids, Archie and Lilibet.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, made the call on Tuesday, November 15, 2023, and the conversation reportedly had a warm tone. The gesture follows a time of tenuous relations between Harry, Meghan, and the British royal family, stemming from the couple’s 2020 decision to withdraw from royal responsibilities and move to the United States.
The estrangement was intensified by the release of Harry’s controversial memoir, “Spare,” and the couple’s candid interviews, including a notable one with Oprah Winfrey, where they discussed their experiences with the monarchy.
On the day of the call, King Charles III, born on November 14, 1948, celebrated his birthday by launching the “Coronation Food Project” in Didcot, South Oxfordshire, alongside his wife, Queen Camilla, aged 74. The project aims to end food waste, and the celebration included a rendition of “Happy Birthday” at the South Oxford Food and Education Alliance. The King, who has been busy with royal engagements, insisted on treating his birthday as a “normal working day.”
The call from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who was also part of the conversation, came as a surprise given the existing rift. Harry had not been invited to the official birthday celebrations in London, a claim confirmed by his spokesperson, who said that there had been no contact regarding an invitation to the King’s birthday.
Despite the ongoing estrangement, Prince Harry was included in the official birthday tribute to King Charles III shared on the Royal Family’s official Instagram account. This inclusion hints at a possible softening of relations between the father and son.
However, the path to a full reconciliation remains uncertain. Sources close to the royal family suggest that while the phone call is a step in the right direction, the deeper issues stemming from the allegations made in the Netflix series and Prince Harry’s memoir are not easily resolved. These issues, which include revelations about Prince Harry’s relationship with his father and a reported physical altercation with his brother, Prince William, have caused a significant division within the family.
