Last November, Prince Harry apparently called King Charles and wished him a happy birthday. Various British outlets reported variations on the phone call – that Charles had also spoken to Meghan and they had a pleasant chat; that Harry and Meghan sent a video of Archie and Lili to Charles; that the Sussexes were the ones doing a huge briefing spree to the British media about a phone call. Buckingham Palace really overplayed their hand and – in my opinion – the craziness around that whole story was evidence of wildly different factions within Charles’s royal court. The Sussexes got blamed for all of the stories and then everyone moved on, because the palace didn’t want anyone to look too closely. I bring all of that up because it’s interesting that we haven’t gotten any big briefings about a Christmas phone call between Harry and his father. I’m absolutely sure it happened – it’s clear that Harry still contacts Charles on big occasions, and I would assume that the Sussexes sent something to Charles privately. But this time, the palace didn’t immediately leak a bunch of sh-t about it. And yet…

King Charles is reportedly on a ‘mission’ to bring Prince Harry back into the Royal fold. It’s said that Harry has been showing his late mum, Princess Diana’s “good qualities” to his dad as they try to mend their relationship.

For King Charles’ birthday, Harry and Meghan spoke with the monarch and sparked rumours of a reconciliation. Royal sources said it was likely to be a “nice surprise” for the King, who had not heard from Harry, either by phone or message, “for some time”. His Majesty is understood to have had a friendly and cordial chat with his boy during the transatlantic chat.

Charles also received a video of Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, singing happy birthday to their grandfather, who he has only met on a handful of occasions. Insiders have revealed that Charles feels no pressure with Harry and despite their differences, “still have that father-son bond”. He also reportedly sees his late ex-wife Princess Diana’s “good qualities” in his son.

The source told Closer: “Charles doesn’t feel pressure when talking to Harry, unlike William, who is itching to be king. They’ve had their differences, but still have that father-son bond. That’s how they mended things. Charles has clarity with age, and if he wants anything, it is for William and Harry to repair their relationship. 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 added 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.”

[From The Mirror & The Express]

It honestly would not surprise me if Charles genuinely misses Harry because Harry isn’t power-hungry or waiting for Charles to die. Harry adores his father, wants to still have a relationship with his father and he’s tremendously disappointed in Charles for good reason. Charles and William are basically in the same position though – they’ve committed to never reconciling with Harry, to blaming Harry for the breakdown in relations, and they both refuse to have those larger conversations with Harry. So no, it’s not like Charles can say to his sons “you two need to bury the hatchet.” It’s the same hatchet between father and son. I wish Harry would just understand that it might be healthier for him to go no-contact and grey-rock these people.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.