Prince Harry and King Charles' Relationship Under Pressure Again

Prince Harry's sudden visit to Britain sparked the kind of news coverage that he has previously referenced in order to justify his outspoken criticism of the monarchy.

The Duke of Sussex spent 30 minutes catching up with King Charles III, a day after his father's cancer diagnosis, during an 11,000-mile round trip.

The mercy mission has left many commentators hailing a positive step in their relationship, including after Charles held up a helicopter flight to Sandringham, Norfolk, in order to spend time with his son.

However, Robert Jobson, whose royal biographies include Our King and Charles at Seventy, suggested Harry's visit came as a surprise.

"Charles was widely reported to have been 'touched' by the gesture," Jobson wrote in the Daily Mail. "Perhaps he was. Yet I am told that the reality is both more complex and more troubling—that Harry caused some disquiet by 'taking it upon himself' to fly over unbidden and at such short notice.

"Put bluntly, the King was unhappy about what amounted to a fait accompli served up by an emotional but well-meaning son.

"Charles just needs peace and quiet right now and had planned to fly off to the tranquillity of Norfolk with his wife, the Queen, much earlier on Tuesday.

"Yet thanks to Harry's intervention, their Majesties were left kicking their heels at Clarence House, their main London home, while they waited for the errant younger son to appear.

"It is striking that Harry was not invited to stay at Clarence House or, indeed, at any other royal residence. So last-minute was the decision to fly, that he had to book a hotel room for the night."

The prince has been outspoken on the subject before, including when justifying to Anderson Cooper, on 60 Minutes, in January 2023, why he had written his book Spare: "Every single time I've tried to do it privately there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife.

"You know, the family motto is never complain, never explain. But it's just a motto. And it doesn't really hold."

"They will feed or have a conversation with the correspondent," he added. "And that correspondent will literally be spoon-fed information and write the story.

"And at the bottom of it they will say that they've reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.

"But the whole story is Buckingham Palace commenting. So when we're being told for the last six years, 'We can't put a statement out to protect you.' But you do it for other members of the family. It becomes... there becomes a point when silence is betrayal."

The piece in the Mail gives no indication of who the source is and it is entirely possible it did not come from a palace staffer. Whoever gave Jobson his information ran the risk of exacerbating tensions between Charles and Harry.

Meanwhile, Peter Hunt, former BBC royal correspondent, suggested Harry was being punished for past indiscretions.

He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Punishment, Windsor style: Your Dad is diagnosed with cancer. You hop on an overnight transatlantic flight.

"You spend less than 45 mins with him. He then flies off to another royal residence. Your brother isn't free to see you."

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.

Update 2/8/24 1:47 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.