CLEARING THE HEIR
King Charles could finally heal rift with Prince Harry despite bitter son branding Camilla his ‘wicked stepmother’
Harry wrote about Camilla in his memoir Spare
KING Charles is now 'open to a truce with Prince Harry' after getting advice from 'spiritual leaders', sources say.
The Sun reported earlier this month how a friend claimed the Duke of Sussex's phone calls to his father were still “going unanswered” amid friction over his battle for taxpayer-funded personal security.
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Harry, 39, is understood to have not seen Charles since the announcement of the monarch's cancer diagnosis in February.
But sources now say the King has drawn comfort from the guidance of spiritual leaders while coming to terms with his new role, and the death of his parents, The Mail on Sunday reported.
An insider claimed that the monarch took 'spiritual nourishment' from talks with religious leaders, adding: "Faith has always been a part of Charles’s life and something he’s explored, but since becoming King it is playing a more central role."
Buckingham Palace has not commented on the speculation.
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It comes after Harry claimed he and William begged Charles not to marry Camilla over fears she would be their wicked stepmother.
In an explosive section of his biography Spare, published in January 2023, the Duke of Sussex relives the moment he was introduced to the now-Queen for the first time.
Harry said he and his brother were aware of Camilla as the "other woman" and both had separate meetings with her before she officially joined the family.
He compared seeing her for the first time to avoiding pain while getting an injection.
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He wrote: "This is nothing. Close your eyes and you won't even feel it."
The prince claimed Camilla appeared "bored", saying it was "pure formality" as he was not the heir or a major obstacle.
I know what Kate is really like behind closed doors and what King Charles thinks of her - she’s had a massive realisation
They did, however, have small chat about horses, he says.
Also in the book, Harry alleged he pondered whether Camilla would one day be his "wicked stepmother".
But he claims he and his brother were willing to forgive her in "their hearts" if she could make Charles happy.
The duke writes: "We could recognise the absent glances, the empty sighs, the frustration always visible on his face."
Royal experts have more recently claimed Prince Harry “threw a lot of javelins at his family” with his bombshell Spare memoir, and his relationship is “incredibly strained”.
Writer and broadcaster Hugo Vickers claimed that it is “highly commendable” that King Charles has never publicly responded to the biography, which made a number of digs at the royal family.
Prince Harry’s 'snub of dad Charles'
Prince Harry's 'snub' of father King Charles was revealed earlier this month as a palace insider said "I don't know what more the King can do".
The Duke of Sussex, 39, was invited to stay at Buckingham Palace when he visited the UK to mark the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games, as reported by The Times.
Harry was offered to spend his time at one of the royal apartments - but turned it down in what has been branded his latest snub.
King Charles would have been nearby at Clarence House, should the duke have accepted his olive branch.
An inside source told The Times: “I don’t know what more the King could have done.
"He offered Harry to stay at Buckingham Palace but that it seems even that wasn’t good enough.
"It was far from clear what the duke’s plans were."
The insider added there was not enough time in His Majesty's schedule to meet with Harry.
However, spending time at the Buckingham Palace residence may have created an opportunity for the pair to reunite.
Nevertheless, the duke chose to stay at a London hotel instead and their paths did not cross.
A source dubbed Harry's move "strange" and added: "It would also have made more sense from a point of view of seeing his father as it would be easier for the King to see his son if they were staying nearby."
At the time, a spokesman for the duke said: “In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme.
"The duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities, and hopes to see him soon.”
Hugo appeared on The Times royal podcast - The Royals - with Roya and Kate - to speak about the Duke of Sussex’s relationship with his family, ahead of his 40th birthday in September.
Host Roya Nikkhah, royal editor at The Sunday Times, said: “The permafrost seems pretty frozen, certainly between the brothers [Prince Harry and Prince William], and I think that relationship with his father is incredibly strained.”
Hugo agreed, saying: “However, he threw a lot of javelins at his family in that book [Spare], and I think it's highly commendable that the King has never responded publicly to any of these things.
“So I take the view that the door is indeed left open.
“Now, it's not very easy for Prince Harry to come through the door because, first of all, he says he can't bring his wife to England.
“He can take her to Colombia, apparently, which is much more dangerous than England, but he can't bring her here because he doesn't have security.
“Well, he probably would have a certain amount, anyway.
“For various reasons, he doesn't, so he pops over from time to time, and there are these brief meetings.
“But I commend the King hugely for his restraint because to have had all those things said about you and about your second wife is pretty unattractive.”
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King Charles announced earlier this year that he was undergoing cancer treatment and would be stepping back from public-facing duty just 16 months into his reign.
However, it has since been announced he is now well enough to visit Australia and Samoa in October on a royal tour.
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