King Charles IIIsees late ex-wife Princess Diana’s “good qualities” in son Prince Harry, an insider exclusively tells Closer, as the father-son duo move closer to reconciliation.
The former couple “didn’t see eye to eye on most things” throughout their 15-year marriage, the source continues, especially when it came to raising Harry, 39, and his older brother, Prince William. However, Charles, 75, is determined to rebuild a healthy relationship with his youngest child, with whom he’s faced ups and downs since Diana’s death in 1997.
“Charles doesn’t feel pressure when talking to Harry, unlike William, who is itching to be king,” the insider adds. “They’ve had their differences, but still have that father-son bond. That’s how they mended things.”
Since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, announced they were stepping back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, things appeared to be rocky between Harry and William, 41.
In his January 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry detailed a physical altercation that he had with the Prince of Wales in London in 2019.
“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me,” he wrote. “It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 09: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour 2018 on June 9, 2018 in London, England. The annual ceremony involving over 1400 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. The parade marks the official birthday of the Sovereign, even though the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21st. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Harry wrote that the fight left “scrapes and bruises” on his back and drove a wedge between him and his brother, who is now next in line to take the throne. Meghan, 42, was “terribly sad” to hear of the heated exchange.
Despite all of the bombshells Harry revealed in Spare about his parents’ marriage and his falling out with his brother, Charles has remained optimistic that his sons will one day reconcile.
“Charles has clarity with age, and if he wants anything, it is for William and Harry to repair their relationship,” a royal insider previously told Closer in December 2023. “He’s telling William to be the first one to reach out and be the bigger person. It’s his mission to get the boys on good terms.”
The source maintained that Harry wanted “to start the new year off right and focus on making amends” with his father. “And lucky for him, Charles wants that, too.”