King Charles Wants to Mend Fences with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, But Not Until He \201cSees Some Positive Change on Their End\201d

Prince Harry talks animatedly to King Charles with Meghan Markle in the background

(Image credit: Getty)

published 24 June 2023

The continually fractured relationship between King Charles and his younger son, Prince Harry (and, by association, Meghan Markle), looked to be on more solid footing around the time of the King’s Coronation on May 6. But then, puzzlingly, Harry and Meghan were not invited to this year’s Trooping the Colour on June 17—the annual birthday parade for the monarch, and Charles’ first in the role. So what’s going on with the relationship? (As best we know, anyway.)

According to Us Weekly, the King “loves his son,” but relations with the Sussexes remain strained. Charles’ “trust has been compromised since the publication of Spare,” a source said, referring to Harry’s memoir released this past January. “There’s no doubt he wishes to avoid Harry and Meghan until he sees some positive change on their end,” the insider said. No word what that “positive change” entails, exactly.

King Charles, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle at Trooping the Colour 2018

The outlet also speaks to Harry and Meghan’s absence at Trooping the Colour, with a source saying “The feeling among the royals is that if the Sussexes were there, it would’ve steered attention away from the event, an important one for the whole nation.”

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King Charles at Royal Ascot in a top hat

The Mirror reports that the King is open to resolving the rift with Harry and would welcome both Harry and Meghan back into the royal family. On a recent episode of The Daily Express’ "Royal Roundup," reporter Richard Palmer said “I’m sure the King would welcome them back. I mean, he’s quite keen to heal that family rift. But it’s obviously very raw at the moment, and it’s very noticeable. While I’d say he’s keen to heal that rift, he hasn’t met his son the last two times he’s been over to the U.K.” (Harry has been in his home country to attend court appearances for a lawsuit he has filed against Mirror Group Newspapers.)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in profile smiling at the Invictus Games

(Image credit: Getty)

We continue to hold out hope for peace in the family.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.