The King is sceptical about Prince Harry hopes to visit Sandringham in the summer with his family, according to a new report.
Charles, 77, is said to believe that “low trust” and “bitter experience” would get in the way of the visit and such conversations should be dealt with “privately”, a friend told the Daily Mail on Sunday night.
It comes following reports that Harry hopes to be invited by his father to spend “family time” together at the Norfolk estate with his wife, Meghan Markle, and children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, later in the year.
However, a friend of the King said: “If Harry truly wishes to see his father, he would do well to encourage his supporters to allow such matters to be discussed privately, since low trust and bitter experience in this regard remains one of the principal barriers to progress.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales also have a country home on the Sandringham Estate, Anmer Hall.
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Harry’s hopes for a visit to Sandringham
The Duke of Sussex is said to be waiting on an invitation from his father to visit Sandringham, due to concerns about his security.
He is currently waiting for a decision about his security arrangements while visiting the UK. Since stepping down as working royals, Harry and Meghan no longer receive automatic taxpayer-funded armed protection from Scotland Yard.
© InstagramPrince Harry, Meghan and their children at Disneyland
But an invitation from the King would automatically give him the security needed for his family.
A friend of Harry told The Times over the weekend: “If he was invited by the King, he would get a package of security that automatically kicks in. He’d like an invite to Sandringham. Would he go? It would depend who was there. If the King was to say, ‘Come up and spend some time with the family’, he’d love that.”
When did Charles last spend time with the Sussex family?
Harry, 41, has only seen his father twice in two years following his move to the US after stepping down as a senior royal in 2022. Most recently, these included a brief 55-minute meeting at Clarence House in September, when the two of them met for tea – their first face-to-face conversation in 19 months.
© GettyMeghan last visited the UK in 2022
However, they did not see one another when Harry returned to the UK in January for his privacy trial against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail.
King Charles last saw his grandchildren when Harry and Meghan travelled to the UK for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
Meghan last visited the UK later in 2022 to attend events for the Queen’s funeral. The King continues to undergo treatment for cancer.