The relationship between King Charles and his youngest son Prince Harry has been strained since he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped back from their roles as senior royals in 2020.
While he has in the past spoken about his father's role in his childhood with fondness, in recent years he has been more critical of the monarch for not being more involved during his childhood, particularly after the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
Many of the explosive revelations about his family were made in his memoir Spar', his Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan and in subsequent interviews in print and on television.
In Spare, Harry suggested that Charles was always somewhat distant and they were never really close. He said that the King was never good "at showing emotions" and even claimed that he didn't hug him after telling him about his mother, Princess Diana's car accident.
In his book, Harry wrote: "He wasn't great at showing emotions under normal circumstances, how could he be expected to show them in such a crisis? But his hand did fall once more on my knee and he said: It's going to be OK. That was quite a lot for him. Fatherly, hopeful, kind. And so very untrue."
He also claimed that while growing up, his father would write him letters of praise instead of complimenting him to his face. Prince Harry also claimed that his father stopped taking his calls after he stepped down as a senior working royal at the start of 2020.
In his memoir, Spare, he shared about the tension after Prince Philip's funeral in 2021: "Pa and Willy had their parts to play, and they'd come ready for a fight."
However, during an interview with his close friend Tom Bradby in 2023 for ITV, Harry confessed he yearned for a reconciliation with his father and brother. He said: "I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back."
Despite their strained relationship, Harry fondly remembered how his father managed single parenthood: "To be fair, he tried. Evenings, I'd shout downstairs: 'Going to bed, Pa!'
"He'd always shout back cheerfully: 'I'll be there shortly, darling boy!' True to his word, minutes later he'd be sitting on the edge of my bed. He never forgot that I didn't like the dark, so he'd gently tickle my face until I fell asleep."
Prince Harry made headlines last week when his spokesperson refuted claims he was snubbing his father's birthday celebrations.
A Sunday Times report claimed Harry and Meghan declined an invite to the King's birthday party, however, they denied these claims.
Their spokesperson said: "In response to UK media headlines, there has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday. It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI engine, which speeds up OK!'s editorial research and applies it to article templates created by journalists in our newsrooms. An OK! editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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