'Now is not the time' for King Charles to reconcile with Harry, author says

But that doesn't mean it will never happen.

Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales arrive to attend the 'International Year of The Reef' 2018 meeting at Fishmongers Hall on February 14, 2018 in London, England
(Image credit: Getty Images)

King Charles and Prince Harry's relationship is very complicated these days, and it's not set to improve anytime soon — according to one royal author at least.

"I know people keep saying, 'Why doesn’t he see Harry when he is in town? Why can’t they patch things up?'" Robert Hardman told Fox News recently.

"But right now, there is a sense that we’ve just got to keep the King’s stress levels down. We don’t want him to have extra things to worry about. Let’s get through this… There is a sense that now is probably not the time."

Robert is most likely referring to the King's cancer diagnosis, which he revealed earlier this year. While Charles has been well enough to take on royal engagements including a recent tour in Australia and Samoa, his recovery is obviously a top priority.

"If you listen to what Harry has said in his TV series, in his book, in interviews — there’s a lot to unpack," Robert continued. "There are a lot of things he wants to get sorted out to go through to process… Right now, there’s a sense that it’s not the time. But I’m sure the King would like to normalise things."

Charles and Harry have had a really rocky relationship since the Sussexes first stepped down from their royal duties in 2020, but things went from bad to worse after the Duke of Sussex made many public revelations about the Royal Family that didn't necessarily paint his relatives in the best light.

Recently, though, there was a glimmer of hope that the father and son pair could patch things up, but it was short-lived.

Last November on the King's birthday, the two men are said to have had a really successful phone call.

When Charles announced he had cancer in February, Harry immediately jumped on a transatlantic flight to see his father, though he was only granted a 45-minute meeting.

On Harry's other shorts stops in the UK this year, the King sadly declined to meet with him, typically citing a busy schedule.

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Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.