Exclusive: The “Gulf” Between King Charles and Prince Harry “Seems Deeper Than Ever” Following Duke’s Failed Court Battle, Says Former Royal Butler
"To me, it feels as though the ship has sailed," Grant Harrold tells 'Marie Claire.'
Prince Harry is visiting the U.K. week this week to support the Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham next year, and although he originally planned to bring his family for a reunion with King Charles, the meeting is now up in the air.
Earlier reports indicated that the Duke of Sussex was scheduled to bring wife Meghan Markle and kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet along with him, but security squabbles have resulted in Harry arriving to London alone. On July 7, Prince Harry learned that he’d lost his privacy case against Associated Newspapers, and after delivering a blistering statement that put The King in a compromising position, former royal butler Grant Harrold tells Marie Claire that he thinks a royal reunion is looking more uncertain than ever.
While royal sources have suggested that The King is still trying to arrange a meeting with his grandchildren, whom he hasn’t seen since 2022, Harrold says he doesn’t anticipate it being “happy families for a very, very long time.”
Prince Harry leaves an Invictus Games event shortly after the verdict in his privacy case was delivered on July 7.
King Charles is seen driving a tank in Dorset, England on July 6.
Prince Harry and six other claimants accused the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday of unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking. In a joint statement released on Tuesday with fellow claimant Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the Duke of Sussex and the baroness said, “We came to Court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither.”
“It is a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected,” they added. “However, the lengths to which the Court has gone to exonerate the Mail is as shocking as it is totally unwarranted.”
The attack on His Majesty’s Courts Tribunals Service puts King Charles in an awkward position, with Harrold, speaking on behalf of Action Network, noting, “With everything that's happened over the last 48 hours, I'd say it's highly unlikely we're going to see any sort of reconciliation anytime soon.”
The King and Prince Harry share a warm greeting in 2018.
Of course, The King still may arrange a meeting with his youngest son and grandchildren, should the duke choose to bring them to Britain later this week. But as Harrold adds, “I just don't quite see how The King can come back from what's happened, and equally, I can't see how Harry can either. The gulf between them now seems deeper than ever.”
“To me, it feels as though the ship has sailed,” The King's former butler adds.
A lack of official police security has caused Harry to keep his children away from the U.K., but a source has told the Mirror that he's “frantically” trying to arrange a way to get his kids over safely. The insider added that Charles “would not pass up the opportunity to spend time with his grandchildren and if there is a way of making it possible, he will do it.”
Only time will tell whether Meghan and the children make it back to Harry's homeland, but the Duke of Sussex will be in Birmingham either way as he supports the events surrounding the 2027 Invictus Games.
As for a reconciliation with the Royal Family, the Duke of Sussex told the BBC last year that he would “love” that, but acknowledges forgiveness might never happen with certain people. “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things,” he said.
