Prince Harry’s sudden visit to see King Charles this week has prompted intense debate amongst royal watchers.
While many initially hailed it as a positive step in the complex relationship between father and son, new statements from veteran royal biographer Robert Jobson paint a more troubled picture.
Prince Harry’s unexpected trip to the UK caused tension
According to Jobson, writing in the Daily Mail, Harry actually caused “some disquiet” by taking it upon himself to fly over to Britain uninvited and with little notice.
Reportedly, King Charles had planned to travel to Norfolk much earlier on the day of Harry’s visit, but ended up delayed at Clarence House waiting for his younger son to arrive.
“Harry caused some disquiet by ‘taking it upon himself’ to fly over unbidden and at such short notice.”
Strikingly, Harry was apparently not invited to stay at any royal residence during the trip, instead booking a hotel.
Jobson suggests Charles was “unhappy” about the unexpected disruption to his schedule from an “emotional but well-meaning” Harry. After just 30 minutes together, Harry returned to the airport.
“Put bluntly, the King was unhappy about what amounted to a fait accompli served up by an emotional but well-meaning son.”
For some like royal correspondent Peter Hunt, this amounted to “punishment, Windsor style”.
In Hunt’s view on social media platform X, Harry made huge efforts to visit briefly after Charles’ worrying cancer diagnosis, only for his father to rapidly leave for Norfolk, and Prince William to be unavailable to meet.
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. pic.twitter.com/ZLLbqHC3zs
— Peter Hunt (@_PeterHunt) February 7, 2024
Punished for past indiscretions?
Harry has previously hit out at the palace for negative media briefings against him and Meghan, suggesting “silence is betrayal” when the family fails to protect its own members from criticism.
In an interview with Anderson Cooper in January 2023, Harry highlighted how reporters “will literally be spoon-fed information” from palace insiders to craft ostensibly independent stories.
He argued his desire to handle matters privately has been ignored for years.
Some may see echoes of such concerns in Jobson’s inside account of the visit aftermath and family tensions.
Whether the lines of communication with his father are still open remains to be seen.