The King may still be reluctant to invite Prince Harry and his family to stay over the summer due to "low trust and bitter experience" following a series of leaks, claims and media briefings in recent years that have undermined the relationship between father and son, according to reports.
The comments, which come from a "source close to the monarch", and reported in the Daily Mail suggests the relationship between Charles and Harry remains difficult.
The source, also described as being "a friend of the King", said: "If Harry truly wishes to see his father, he would do well to encourage his supporters to allow such matters to be discussed privately, since low trust and bitter experience in this regard remains one of the principal barriers to progress."
The Duke, 41, has met with his father just twice in the last two years after he and his wife Meghan stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to the US following a public falling out with the Royal family, which included controversial TV interviews and the publication of his memoir, Spare.
But in recent months there have been several reports that Harry wants to patch things up with his father and enable the King to see his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, six and four, who have not seen their grandfather for four years.
This weekend it emerged that Harry would reportedly welcome an invitation from the King to Sandringham, his estate in Norfolk, as he believes this would permit him to bring his family with him.
A key consideration is security. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex lost their tax-payer-funded bodyguards when they stepped back as senior royals. They are currently awaiting a government decision on security entitlements and Harry has said he would not feel safe bringing his family to the UK without armed police protection.
However, this weekend a friend of Harry's told The Sunday Times: “If he was invited by the King, he would get a package of security that automatically kicks in.
"He’d like an invite to Sandringham. Would he go? It would depend who was there. If the King was to say, ‘Come up and spend some time with the family’, he’d love that.”
The friend reportedly added: "There are lots of scenarios to make it work, but it's all out of Harry's hands. No father would want to put their kids at any risk."
Despite this assessment, the Daily Mail has cast doubt on whether the Sussexes would be entitled to an automatically enhanced security protection for a private family visit.
Publicly-funded security is supposedly only for attending official events at the monarch's request or invitation, such as the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, or the King's coronation in 2023.
Harry last saw his father on 10 September last year when they met for less than an hour at Clarence House for the first time in 19 months. Afterwards, a source close to the duke told The Sunday Times: “He always loves seeing his father and would love to see him as much as possible.”
The pair are believed to have spoken multiple times since, although they notably didn't meet despite Harry being in London for his ongoing court case against Associated Newspapers. He and his brother the Prince of Wales are still estranged.
Prior to the September meeting, Harry and Charles last met face to face in February 2024 when the duke made a transatlantic dash to see the monarch after hearing of his cancer diagnosis. On that occasion, they spent just over 30 minutes together before the King left to recuperate in Sandringham. Charles is still receiving treatment for the disease.
Harry has previously spoken of his hopes for a “reconciliation” with his family, saying: “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things.”
But despite the allegations in his book, Harry said last year he had now “forgiven” them.
“I would love a reconciliation with my family. There's no point in continuing to fight any more,” he said. “I don't know how much longer my father has.”
Buckingham Palace and Harry and Meghan’s representatives have been approached for comment.
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