King Charles III “loves his son” Prince Harry but his relationship with the prince and his wife, Meghan Markle, remains strained, a source exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly.
The monarch’s “trust has been compromised since the publication of Spare,” the insider says, referring to Harry’s 2023 bombshell memoir in which he slammed his father, 74, and brother, Prince William, among other members of The Firm.
“There’s no doubt he wishes to avoid Harry and Meghan until he sees some positive change on their end,” the source adds of the king who last saw his youngest child, 38, in May during his coronation ceremony.
Harry made the trip across the pond last month for his father’s crowing moment but Meghan, 41, opted to stay in the U.S. with their two children: Archie, 4, and Lili, 2.
Charles took over the British throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away at age 96. He was sworn in on May 6 in London — an event that appeared to serve as a momentary truce among Harry and his relatives.
The Duke of Sussex has been at odds with his family since stepping back from his role as a senior royal in 2020. His tension with William, 40, has remained an issue after Harry called his sibling his “archnemesis” in Spare. “William feels Harry is all smoke and mirrors and is not to be trusted,” a source exclusively told Us in February.
Charles, for his part, was happy to see his son at his May coronation despite a years-long rift in the family. (The coronation fell on Archie’s birthday, which is why Meghan did not attend.)
“My understanding is [Harry] didn’t have any interactions with the Prince or Princess of Wales but that he did have a conversation with his father the night before,” royal expert Nick Bullen exclusively told Us last month.
Bullen pointed out that with the coronation over, “there seems to be no reason” for Harry to “come back to London anytime soon.” He added: “It’s possibly the beginning of the end of the Sussex interaction with the royal family.”
That premonition appeared to come to fruition when Harry and Meghan were noticeably absent from Charles’ first Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 17.
“I don’t think they need to be invited,” royal historian Gareth Russell exclusively told Us of the Sussexes ahead of the event. “Not as a kind of insult to them, but you know, it’s a long trip to make from California for the sake of Trooping the Colour. … I think this is one of the events where the Sussexes were never going to be invited.”
The Trooping the Colour parade takes place every June and marks the monarch’s public birthday celebration. Harry and Meghan skipped Charles’ inaugural bash, but they did make it to the queen’s last Trooping the Colour one year prior.
“The feeling among the royals is that if the Sussexes were there, it would’ve steered attention away from the event, an important one for the whole nation,” the insider tells Us of the pair’s absence from Saturday’s festivities.
Charles and Princess Diana’s eldest son, William, meanwhile, was front and center for this year’s Trooping the Colour. The Duke of Cambridge was joined by wife Princess Kate and their three kids: Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, on Saturday to wave to the crowd from Buckingham Palace’s iconic balcony.
Watch the exclusive video above for more details on Charles’ relationship with Harry and Meghan — and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
