The relationship between King Charles and Prince Harry has reportedly reached a new low, characterised by a complete breakdown of trust, particularly following the Duke’s public interview with the BBC earlier this month. 

“It’s taken its toll,” a source sympathetic to Prince Harry told HELLO!. “He sees things everywhere, he picks battles with everybody, and that’s tiring. 

“You can’t live in permanent battle mode. You’re a 40-year-old man. You’ve got to stop fighting the world.” 

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Even if the King were to offer an olive branch, the door is said to be firmly bolted as far as his eldest son, Prince William, is concerned. 

“There is zero trust,” an insider said. “The family feel that private conversations with Harry are not possible.” 

Royal author Robert Jobson, however, suggests a different approach. “Harry should have said to his father: ‘Sorry, I’ve got this wrong; I’ve made a mistake but I want to reconcile,'” he explained. 

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“If you read between the lines, Harry was clearly reaching out to his father. The only way this is going to be resolved and to stop this becoming the focus of the King’s reign is for Charles to take a shot in the dark and give Harry a last chance to build bridges. 

“I think that was going to happen, if he hadn’t said what he said. The King is someone who understands forgiveness and has made mistakes himself. If anyone can be the bigger man in this situation, it would be him.” 

Harry speaks out

Earlier this month, Prince Harry told the BBC about his hopes to “reconcile” with his family after he stepped down as a working royal in 2020. 

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Harry, his wife Meghan Markle and their son, Prince Archie, subsequently moved to the United States, where Harry and Meghan welcomed a daughter, Princess Lilibet. 

In an interview with the BBC, Harry revealed that his father, King Charles, is no longer speaking to him, mainly because of the ongoing row over his “security” arrangements. 

LISTEN: How King Charles found out about Harry’s shocking interview

The father-of-two spoke of his want to reconcile with the family, saying: “I would love reconciliation with my family, there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious, I don’t know how much longer my father has, he won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.” 

However, he conceded that any reconciliation would be in his family’s hands, adding: “If they don’t want that, that’s entirely up to them.”