“Oh, God, it’s a boy. And he even has red hair!” Such was the now-King’s less than thrilled reaction to the birth of his youngest son in 1984, according to Diana, Princess of Wales. That sentiment would be a precursor to a childhood which saw its share of challenges, Prince Harry wrote in his bestselling 2023 memoir, Spare. “He’d always given an air of being not quite ready for parenthood – the responsibilities, the patience, the time.”
News that Harry will return to the UK this summer with Meghan and his children has brought the rollercoaster of a relationship with his father – or as he calls him, Pa – back to the fore. When he visited the UK alone last year, the King granted his son 50 minutes of his time over tea and cake: this time, Charles has offered them accommodation in a royal residence (reportedly to get ahead of any “mean King” stories that might circulate ahead of their arrival). The Sussexes are yet to accept.
All eyes are on whether a royal reconciliation might occur, after a volatile half-decade. There was the disastrous Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021, in which the Sussexes said senior royals had raised “concerns” over the darkness of the skin of their unborn child; the publication of Spare (the advance for which was reportedly $20m) followed by numerous comments made hence which have only served to inflame tensions between Harry and his father.
