The royal rift between King Charles and his estranged son Prince Harry continues to simmer.

The geographical and emotional distance has resulted in the monarch spending minimal time with his two youngest grandchildren, five-year-old Prince Archie and three-year-old Princess Lilibet, since their birth.

He has only met Archie a few times and Lilibet once after her birth. However, following his health scare earlier this year, Charles has reportedly expressed a desire to spend more time with Harry and Meghan Markle’s children reports the Mirror.

The King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February, and is still undergoing treatment. A source recently told Mirror US: “King Charles has expressed his wishes to see his grandchildren – and there’s no better time than the festive period to bring families together. There is no feeling like being a grandparent and it is a role King Charles relishes. It is his hope for his family to be reunited and there’s no better way than spending quality time with his grandchildren at Christmas. It would be truly special.”

The source added: “There’s nothing King Charles wants more than to see his family united, and for his sons to put the past behind them and move forward. These are his twilight years and he wants to enjoy them with his grandchildren making special memories.”

Prince Harry renews plea to father to make peace
Prince Harry and his father King Charles have become estranged in recent years (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Charles once enjoyed a close bond with his grandson Archie, expressing his delight at the lad’s birth in May 2019. A heartwarming snap of Charles gazing adoringly at Archie was shared on his former Clarence House Instagram account following the christening.

However, Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back as working royals and relocate to the US in early 2020 has limited the King’s time with his young grandson. Their last known meeting was in 2022 when Archie accompanied his parents to the UK for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Yet, during the Coronation that coincided with Archie’s fourth birthday, the youngster remained in California with his mother Meghan. Despite this, it seems Archie was not forgotten by the King on his big day.

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According to a well-placed source, the monarch toasted his three older grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at a special lunch after the Coronation. He also remembered “those that weren’t there” and wished Archie a happy birthday, “wherever he was”.

“It was apparently a very sweet moment,” a source told Daily Mail. As for Lilibet, it appears she has only met the King once – during her visit to the UK with her parents and brother Archie in 2022.

A source revealed that King Charles found it incredibly special to spend time with his grandson Archie, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, and meeting his granddaughter Lilibet for the first time was an emotional and wonderful experience. Despite not attending Lilibet’s christening last March, which took place at Harry and Meghan’s home in California, it has been announced that both Lilibet and Archie will now be known as Princess and Prince – titles they are entitled to now that their grandfather is King.

Royal author Ingrid Seward commented: “Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lilibet.”

She added: “That is why he will never break ties with Harry. He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son’s children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won’t be around forever.”

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