Prince Harry has ‘royal arch nemesis standing in way’ between him and King Charles

Any reconciliation between Prince Harry and his estranged father King Charles won’t happen until one key royal is also on board, an expert has claimed.

Father and son have had a rocky bond for many years, with recent suggestions that they are no longer speaking. Many expected the pair to meet up on several of Harry’s recent trips back to the UK from his home in California – but eyebrows were raised when this failed to materialise.

It even emerged that Charles offered Harry a stay at Buckingham Palace when he came to the UK in May but the Duke of Sussex reportedly knocked back his offer. But according to one royal expert, any making up between the King and his youngest son won’t happen – until it gets the full blessing of another royal.
According to acclaimed royal writer Robert Hardman, any moves by the King to bury the hatchet with Harry will have to be done in agreement with the brother Harry once claimed was his ‘arch nemesis’, Prince William.

Harry and William’s relationship is thought be even more fragile than that of Harry and the King’s with the pair reportedly having not spoken for two years and William furious by Harry’s decision to release tell-all memoir, Spare. And Mr Hardman told the Daily Beast: “Whatever the king does needs to be done in tandem with both brothers, not just one. He can’t have unilateral discussions if William isn’t in agreement.

“Whatever reconciliation or bridge-building happens, it needs to be a three-way process. People keep asking about the king’s feelings, but William also has to be on board, which adds complexity.” He added: “It’s tricky, and a situation nobody wants. But whatever the way forward is, it has to work for everybody.

Mr Hardman’s comments also come as he claims in an updated version of his biography of the King that Charles also fears over burying the hatchet with Harry are due to the fact it could cause “serious legal jeopardy”.

Recent reports have suggested that the pair are no longer on speaking terms as Harry attempts to discuss his security arrangements in the UK with his dad. The Duke has been embroiled in a long-running battle over his security with the Home Office when he comes to the UK after he automatically lost the right to his police protection when he stepped down as a working royal.

He has lost his subsequent court battles to have it reinstated for him, wife Meghan and their two children and is planning an appeal. And according to a constitutional expert, it is said the King fears being dragged into Harry’s legal row – and could be left in an awkward position.

In a recently updated version of Mr Hardman’s book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, an advisor is quoted as saying: “Here you have the infelicitous situation where the King’s son is suing the King’s ministers in the King’s courts. That is pulling the King in three directions. You also have the situation where the King’s son publishes accounts of private conversations, some of which have been, shall we say, wrong.”

It is believed the adviser points to one of the sections of Spare, where Harry recounts being told of the death of the Queen Mother. He says he received a call with the news while at school in Eton. In fact, Harry was actually on holiday skiing with Charles and William.

The adviser adds: “So imagine the situation if the Prince were to talk to his father about his court case and then later to describe that conversation – or, worse, a conversation which was not entirely accurate. There would be serious legal jeopardy. Harry would only have to say, ‘My father said this’ and a court case could collapse. That’s not just awkward. That’s bad. That is deep legal and constitutional jeopardy when you are head of state and of the judiciary and it is His Majesty’s Government.”

It comes after PEOPLE magazine reported that Harry believes his dad could help to have his security reinstated, although this has been dismissed as “wholly inaccurate” by a palace source. A friend of Harry’s told the magazine earlier this year: “He gets ‘unavailable right now’. His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.” While another friend added: “Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father,” while another source added: “Harry is determined to protect his own family at all costs.”