The monarch, who has been having treatment for cancer since February, has told friends he is not content with only seeing them on video calls from their US home
The King has committed himself to building a relationship with Prince Harry ’s children and to be present in their lives, sources say.
The monarch, who has been having treatment for cancer since February, has told friends he is not content with only seeing them on video calls after meeting Archie, five, only a handful of times and two-year-old Lilibet once.
His decision to step up efforts to become more involved comes as it can be revealed he sent Lili a “heartfelt gift and card” on her birthday last week.
Sources close to the 75-year-old King, who was in Normandy last week for D-Day commemorations, say he is “keener than ever” to focus on his family and his duties and “make up for lost time” after being forced to scale back engagements after his diagnosis.
Prince Harry with Meghan and mum Doria (
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pixel8000)
Prince Harry, 39, his wife Meghan, 42, and their children live in Montecito, California, after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit royal life in 2020. Relations with the Royal Family have become fractured after high-profile interviews, including one with Oprah in 2021, a Netflix show in 2022, and Harry’s explosive 2023 memoir, Spare.
Those who know the King best say he has been in a reflective mood and considers his close bond with his son William’s three children a blessing. He is a “fantastic and enthusiastic grandpa” to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, five, sources say. His wife Camilla, 76, is also understood to be a driving force behind his decision to ramp up efforts to see his other grandchildren.
A source said: “The King is absolutely committed to being present in all of his grandchildren’s lives. He values family above everything and whatever the course of his relationship with his son he would never be content with just seeing his grandchildren on the odd video call.”
Harry scrambled back to the UK to visit his father (
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Netflix)
Harry scrambled back to the UK to visit his father following his diagnosis. Bit despite Harry flying more than 5,000 miles to be by his father’s side, the pair met for just 30 minutes. Days later, the Duke told US broadcaster ABC: “I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.”
Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I – The Inside Story of the King and Our Late Queen, said: “Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lilibet.
“That is why he will never break ties with Harry. He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son’s children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won’t be around for ever.”
The monarch has been having treatment for cancer since February (
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POOL/AFP via Getty Images)DON’T MISS
A friend of Harry insisted: “There has never been an issue with the King being in their lives and there never would be. The door’s always open.”
Last month, when Harry visited London to attend the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, the Duke was told his father’s diary was full and the pair did not meet.