Prince Harry Gets the Royal Flush: No Meeting or 'Call-Up' From King Charles or Prince William During Rebel Duke's Upcoming U.K. Trip
Prince Harry is heading back to Britain on Monday, September 30, and reports suggest the ex-working royal will not meet or have a "call-up" with either King Charles III or Prince William.
"William’s focus is on his family right now, and he won’t be meeting up with Harry," a friend of the Prince of Wales told The Daily Beast.
This is despite His Majesty and the heir to the throne wishing the bestselling author a happy 40th birthday on September 15.
An official palace source told an outlet that birthday wishes are "sometimes posted for landmark birthdays of non-working royals," which reportedly makes the celebratory social posts mere formalities.
Another royal insider said, "It was just a company thing. Happy birthday, blah blah blah."
With the next king-in-waiting specifically, veteran royal reporter Michael Cole shared, "I think the two chances of that reconciliation are slim and none, to be honest with you. If it's a thaw, it's an extremely slow thaw."
With the King and Prince of Wales' Balmoral summer holidays coming to an end soon, hopes are high that the birthday outreach will result in, at the very least, a phone call between the battling brothers. But this is likely not to happen, despite Princess Kate's reported plea for "peace."
"I think the chances of him meeting again with the Prince and Princess of Wales are, I would say, virtually non-existent," Cole added.
Matters are similar, if not quite as frosty when considering Harry's possible meeting with His Majesty.
"Last time he was here, he stayed at a hotel, even though he was offered the freedom of Buckingham Palace if he wished to stay," Cole pointed out.
Cole further added, "But of course, the King would have been rather wary of that, because the last time there was a video call, that was leaked the next day, presumably by Prince Harry's PR people. So if it did happen, it would be interesting, and it would show a renewal of trust or perhaps new conditions for when these calls are made."
The phone call in question came last November when the monarch turned 75. The conversation was said to have marked a "notable shift" in the dynamic between the King and the Sussex duo after years of bitter turmoil and feuding. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Diana reportedly sent their world-famous grandfather a video message of them serenading him with "Happy Birthday."
It was also revealed that Meghan Markle got on the line to talk with her father-in-law and that both had a "warm" exchange with one another, and no reports can confirm if the sovereign has spoken to his daughter-in-law since.
Looks as if Harry's next visit to his father's kingdom will be very much lacking in royal fanfare.