EXCLUSIVE: The Two Tiny Reasons King Charles, 77, Really Wants to Reunite With Estranged Son Harry
King Charles is said to be eager to fix the lack of relationship he has with Prince Harry.
Jan. 6 2026, Published 6:20 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can reveal King Charles is driven by two small but powerful reasons in his desire to reconcile with Prince Harry – his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet, the children he has barely come to know and fears he may never truly know at all.
The monarch spent another Christmas this year thousands of miles away from Harry, 41, Meghan Markle, 44, and their kids Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, underscoring the emotional distance that has defined the family since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal life and relocated to California in 2020.
Do It For the Kids
King Charles has sought reconciliation with Prince Harry for his grandchildren, according to insiders.
While relations between father and son remain strained, sources said the king's wish for reconciliation is rooted less in repairing their rift and more in his longing to build a relationship with Harry's children.
Since Archie's birth in May 2019, Charles has only seen his grandson in person a handful of times. He has met Lilibet just once, during the family's brief return to the U.K. in 2022.
A palace source claimed, "For Charles, the entire issue narrows down to two very small figures whose lives he has largely been absent from. Archie and Lilibet are at the heart of why reconciliation matters so deeply to him. He is acutely aware that their childhoods are passing quickly, and he is determined not to remain a distant or symbolic grandfather, but someone who is genuinely present in their lives."
That sense of urgency sharpened following Charles's cancer diagnosis, with the monarch still fighting an undisclosed form of the illness.
King Charles 'Running Out of Time'
The king fears he might never truly know his youngest grandchildren.
Although the king recently shared positive news about his health, saying early detection and "effective intervention" meant his treatment could be scaled back this year, sources said the experience has made the absence of Archie and Lilibet feel more painful.
Another insider added: "His recent health scare has sharply clarified his priorities. Formalities, rank, and old family disputes have taken on far less importance, eclipsed by the emotional reality that he barely knows his youngest grandchildren and may be running out of time to change that."
One source said Charles had hoped the festive period could offer a chance for healing with Harry that would lead to him seeing his grandkids.
His cancer diagnosis has sharpened his sense of urgency about family.
They said: "Charles has been open about his longing to spend meaningful time with his grandchildren, believing the holiday season offers the most natural opportunity for family bonds to be repaired. He takes deep joy in the role of grandfather and is eager to build shared memories while he is still able to do so."
"With an awareness that this stage of his life is limited, he hopes to spend his remaining years not in isolation, but embraced by family, sharing moments that cannot be recovered once they have passed."
Charles' affection for Archie was evident early on. When the baby was born, then-Prince Charles said he "couldn't be more delighted," and a photograph shared by Clarence House showed him gazing proudly at his grandson during the christening.
Time Slipping Away
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Charles hoped the holidays might have reopend a path to healing with Harry.
That closeness faded after Harry and Markle's departure, with their last known meeting with Archie taking place during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Archie did not attend Charles's Coronation in May 2023, which fell on the child's fourth birthday.
Markle remained in California with Archie, while Harry attended alone.
At a private lunch following the ceremony, a source said Charles acknowledged "those that weren't there" and wished Archie a happy birthday, "wherever he was" – describing it as a "very sweet moment."
