The Duke of Sussex’s move back to Britain could give him more opportunities to rebuild his relationship with his father, although his long-running estrangement from Prince William remains unresolved.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to return to Britain with their children may have been driven partly by a determination to repair their relationship with King Charles, according to a former royal butler.
It emerged last week Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are preparing to relocate from California to Britain in a matter of weeks with their kids Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, who are expected to begin school in the UK in September.
The family will reportedly live in a private, non-royal residence outside London while retaining their homes in California and Portugal, and are said to not be returning as working members of the royal family.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold, 48, has now told Us Weekly: “I imagine King Charles has played a part in their decision, and Harry wanting to spend more time with his father.
“I think behind closed doors Harry and the King have been working hard to heal their relationship. Only so much can be done when they live so far apart, so I think this is Harry making his dad his priority, which is really nice to see.”
Grant added: “I think the King will be delighted to have his son and daughter-in-law closer to home. He’s well aware that their rift will never be healed when they’re only seeing each other once a twice a year, this is the next step that’s needed if they want to heal their relationship.”
The comments follow a significant development in Harry and Charles’ relationship last month, when the duke, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet visited Charles and Queen Camilla, 79, at Highgrove in Gloucestershire. The July meeting marked the first time Charles had seen his grandchildren in person since 2022.
Charles is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of Harry and his family privately after their years in the US.
However, Harry’s estrangement from his brother Prince William, 44, remains unresolved after years of highly publicised disagreements.
Grant said: “I think the King will be concerned about William’s reaction. His biggest challenge is going to be acting as peace negotiation between his two sons.
“The King won’t just be thinking about the now, he’s thinking about the future.”
Harry discussed his fractured relationship with William extensively in his bestselling 2023 memoir Spare, including his claim that an argument between the brothers became physical.
Harry and Meghan also addressed their experiences inside the royal family in their Netflix documentary series Harry and Meghan.
Grant said: “I doubt Harry’s move back to the UK is going to completely heal things between William and Harry. It will take a lot more than that. Too much happened.
“It will be a situation where actions mean more than words. William will need to see Harry continuously making an effort to heal the rift. Right now, I don’t see things healing. I think they will be poker faced and play happy families, but behind the scenes it will take a lot more.”
Prince Harry’s UK move ‘driven by desire to get closer to King Charles’
