King Charles is Still “Subtly Punishing” Prince Harry for ‘Spare,’ Royal Author Says

According to a royal author, King Charles is still “subtly punishing” his younger son, Prince Harry, for remarks that he’s made in interviews since stepping back as a working member of the royal family in 2020 and, most especially, Spare, his bombshell memoir released in January. (Harry & Meghan, his and wife Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries, is not as explosive, but still likely not the King’s favorite series to binge.)

Royal author Duncan Larcombe told The Sun that, while Charles is open to a reconciliation with Harry (always good to hear), he is still unimpressed by the “betrayal” he felt. In response, Charles will apparently now only communicate with Harry via Palace advisors, specifically after Harry “snubbed” an offer to stay with the King at Balmoral last month around the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8. 

“It appears that King Charles’ approach towards Harry now is business as usual—‘If you want to see me you need to make an appointment,’” Larcombe said, teasing that Prince Harry will have to “jump through hoops” to talk to his father.

“It’s very standoffish but I think that’s a way that the King is subtly punishing his son,” he said. Larcombe specifically pointed to the way Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, was portrayed in Spare as something that was upsetting to the King, saying that Harry made “some deeply hurtful” remarks about Camilla. He added that it’s “remarkable” that Charles is still open to a relationship with Harry at all. 

After ascending to the throne, Charles expressed his love for Harry and Meghan, which was an “olive branch,” Larcombe said; but then, after Spare and the like, Harry “took [it], snapped in half, and then hit him with it,” he said.

Larcombe did add, though, that even if Harry has to go through the rigamarole to talk to his father, at least the King is keeping “those channels of communication open.”

“The Harry issue doesn’t have to be sorted out immediately, but it will be sorted out eventually,” a source told The Daily Beast. “Charles loves Harry, but his priority is to fulfill his duty as King and not let his mother down. That means constitutional considerations have to come first.” 

A former royal staffer said that the issue with Harry, if left unresolved, could affect Charles’ view as King negatively: “It’s not sustainable for the King, who is the national symbol of unity, to be on such bad terms with his son that they haven’t been pictured together in years,” they said. “Ultimately, Charles has not just a personal but also a strategic need to resolve the issue.”