King Charles 'Acutely' Feels A 'Lack Of Closeness' With Harry And Meghan's Kids Amid Cancer Battle
By Favour Adegoke on June 10, 2024 at 8:30 PM EDT
King Charles III reportedly wants to spend more time with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Royal expert Michael Cole spoke on the lack of closeness between Charles and his grandkids, saying the monarch can only do so much through video calls and wants a deeper connection.
The royal expert noted Prince Harry's alleged efforts to find a home in the UK and shared his hopes that it might bring the kids closer to King Charles as he battles cancer.
King Charles Wants More Quality Time With Archie And Lilibet
Cole recently spoke to the DailyMail and claimed that Charles deeply feels the "lack of closeness" with his grandkids from Harry.
The royal expert shared that Charles currently "looks as happy and as content as I have ever seen him" but still has one regret: He doesn't spend time with Archie and Lilibet.
He explained that the two "innocent young children" don't have any "real contact" with the rest of the royal family in Britain as they grow up in California.
The former Royal correspondent for the BBC said that the monarch would "welcome the pleasure and comfort" of being with his grandkids as he undergoes treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.
Cole also shared his opinion on the cause of the divide between Charles and the grandkids.
He said, "It is not just the 5,000 miles between Clarence House and California that keeps the monarch at a distance from his youngest grandchildren. The antipathy between Prince Harry and his wife Meghan and the Royal Family has created a deep divide that makes normal family relationships so fraught as to be almost impossible."
King Charles Is Not Satisfied With Just Video Calls
Cole further told the Daily Mail that Charles sees his other grandkids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, "as often as possible" and is always eager to participate in whatever interests and activities they have.
However, regarding Harry and Meghan's kids, the monarch relies on technology to connect and can only do so much on video calls.
He said, "While the King welcomes any sort of contact, technology cannot compensate for the loss of propinquity. The King feels the lack of closeness with his California grandchildren acutely. His own childhood was affected by his parents' long absences on extensive Commonwealth tours - some lasting as much as six months."
Cole further reported that the King wants to "use every opportunity" to connect with all of his grandkids, especially now that every day is precious.
Harry And Meghan's Feud With The Royal Family
During his interview, Cole claimed that Harry and Meghan are not helping Charles establish contact with their kids. He noted that the couple is not directly withholding access to them but is not "making it possible" for their family to connect deeper.
The royal expert said, "The King has seen Archie in person only a handful of times and Princess Lilibet only once. The Sussexes did not take the opportunity to have Lilibet christened at St George's Chapel, Windsor on their last visit when there was an opportunity and it could have been quite easily arranged."
Cole also said that the relationship between Harry and Meghan's family and the rest of the Royals has been "tested to breaking point," so there isn't a strong relationship with the kids.
He credited this tension to the many interviews and TV programs Harry and Meghan have done and the controversial "Spare" memoir.
Time With His Grandkids Would Comfort King Charles Amid His Cancer Battle
Cole told the news outlet that Harry has recently been looking for properties in the UK in an effort to "reestablish a home" there.
However, the Royal expert questioned whether the prince would find a home in time for Charles to develop a deeper bond with Archie and Lilibet before they begin schooling in America.
He said, "Time is fleeting. The King, who looks as happy and as content as I have ever seen him in the 56 years since I filed my first television report about him, is clearly reconciled to his illness, bravely enduring the treatment and facing the future with commendable courage."
Cole further said that the King's "only regret" is that he doesn't get to spend time with the grandkids. He added that the perfect thing to "comfort and delight" the British monarch as he battles cancer would be being able to spend time with his grandkids on a regular basis.
Prince Harry Allegedly Looking For UK Home Because Old Friends Aren't Visiting
According to The Mirror, Royal expert Tom Quinn claimed that Harry is looking for a "permanent" home in the country because he wants to remain in touch with his old life and misses his friends back home.
"As time goes by, Harry misses some aspects of his old life in the UK. Inevitably, the honeymoon period where everything in the States is new and exciting is coming to an end and Harry is looking back at the past through rose-tinted spectacles," Quinn shared.
He added, "He misses his old Etonian and army friends, many of whom have not visited as they don't get on with Meghan. Harry is determined to find his own permanent home in the UK, which is partly why he's continuing his legal action to get the British taxpayer to pay for his security."