King Charles has been cautioned about the long-term impact of his aversion to confrontation, particularly regarding his strained relationship with his youngest son, Prince Harry. The warning comes from royal author Ingrid Seward, who explores the monarch’s personality and decisions in her latest book, My Mother and I.
Seward delves into how Charles, much like his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and grandmother, Queen Mary, has long displayed an aversion to direct conflict, especially on public platforms. This trait, she suggests, has contributed to ongoing tensions within the royal family.
“Like his mother and grandmother, Charles hated confrontation and did what he usually did when faced with a crisis beyond his immediate control: turned away from it,” Seward writes.
This passive approach, she argues, has led to significant consequences—none more prominent than his complicated dynamic with Prince Harry. “This course of inaction would come to haunt Charles over the years,” Seward warns.
In recent years, Prince Harry has openly voiced frustrations about his father’s lack of communication, most notably during interviews with the BBC, CBS, and Good Morning America. The Duke of Sussex shared how difficult it was to reach his father, noting, “Pa,” as he calls him, often refused to take his calls.
Following Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle, the communication gap appeared to widen. According to Seward, “after Harry and Meghan married, there was seldom a simple phone call from his father.” Instead, “any and all at the time contained various demands or requests, sometimes wrapped up in niceties, sometimes not.”
Seward believes this dynamic might have been prevented if King Charles had taken a firmer hand during his sons’ early years. “Again, had Charles been firmer with Harry and, to some extent, William, in their formative years, they might not have caused him so much worry,” she concludes.
As King Charles continues to navigate royal responsibilities amid ongoing family rifts, Seward’s reflections suggest that the consequences of avoiding difficult conversations are now catching up with the monarch. Her insights highlight the personal cost of royal discretion—and the challenges that arise when silence replaces resolution.