Prince Harry has made it clear he wants to see his family as much as he can, but with insiders questioning his team’s claim about King Charles’ diary, one expert says the feeling isn’t mutual

Prince Harry’s relationship with senior royal family members remains fractured, with his latest London visit offering little hope for reconcilliation.

The duke cut a lonely figure during his short UK stay, as King Charles’ diary was too jam-packed for a meet-up and no royals turned up to his Invictus Games service.

But, after flying back to Britain in the wake of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, Harry told ABC News there would be more visits to the UK, saying: “I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can.”

But the feeling doesn’t seem to be reciprocated, according to one expert. Asked who is hampering efforts at reconciliation between Harry and the Windsors, the BBC’s former royal correspondent Jennie Bond told Times Radio it doesn’t appear to be coming from Harry.

Harry didn’t see any of his family members during his recent visit to the UK ( 
Image:
Anadolu via Getty Images)

She said: “Early on it was Harry, who was demanding an apology. There was going to be no meeting of minds or meeting in reality until there was an apology for the affronts he thought had been made to his wife. But now I think the tables have turned somewhat. Messages coming from Harry’s side are that he’s ready at least to forgive and that he loves his family. He’s said that quite publicly. He wants to see more of them.

“But it is Charles and William who seem to be resisting reconciliation at this point so I think it was first one, then the other.”

It comes after neither Charles nor William saw Harry on his most recent trip back to London. Harry’s spokesperson confirmed he would not be meeting his father, who had a “full programme”, during his Invictus visit.

But, speaking on the podcast The Royals with Roya and Kate, Sunday Times royal editor Roya Nikkhah questioned the account – and the reason why Harry ultimately stayed in a hotel.

She claimed: “All the narrative from the moment he [Harry] touched down and we got that statement from Harry’s spokesperson saying it’s not possible for Harry to see his father, his father is too busy, he completely understands. That set the mood music for the whole week that Harry had said Pa is too busy to see me.

“I just thought something didn’t feel quite right about this, so I dug away and dug away a bit deeper and found out that actually, Harry had asked if he could stay and Charles had said yes, come and stay son. You come and stay in a royal residence, you are near where I am so it’s going to be much easier for me to see you given what’s going on with my diary and your diary.

“And that turned everything on its head because of the narrative from Harry that I wanted to see my father but he is too busy to see me. Actually the reality was Charles said yes please do come and stay in a royal gaff and that would make it much easier for me to see each other.”

In response, The Times assistant editor Kate Mansey revealed: “Someone at the palace told me that the King was bruised by that statement that Harry put out, which all plays into exactly why.”

Prince William, meanwhile, is said to be so angered by Harry and Meghan’s behaviour that he has now essentially chosen to step away from his brother altogether.

“I think as far as William is concerned, Harry really doesn’t exist,” expert Jennie Bond further noted. “William has enough pressure on his heart and his head, with his wife [ Princess of Wales ] and her ongoing cancer treatment, and his father [King Charles], his job and his kids that I don’t think he’s got any room in his soul to worry about his estranged brother…I think William has disowned Harry.”