King Charles and his estranged son Prince Harry may be thousands of miles apart this Christmas, but the monarch is still hoping to spend some time with his grandchildren

The royal rift between King Charles and his estranged son Prince Harry is still rumbling on.

Their distance, both physically and emotionally, has meant that the monarch has hardly spent any time with his two youngest grandchildren, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, since they were born. He has only seen Archie in person a handful of times and Lilibet just once after she was born.

But, Charles has now reportedly expressed his desire to spend more time with Harry and Meghan Markle’s children after his sudden health woes earlier this year. The King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February, during a procedure for an enlarged prostate, and is still ongoing treatment.

The King reportedly wishes to spend more time with his grandson Prince Archie ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

He has only met his granddaughter Princess Lilibet once during a UK trip ( 
Image:
PA)
A source recently told the Mirror US: “King Charles has expressed his wishes to see his grandchildren – and there’s no better time than the festive period to bring families together. There is no feeling like being a grandparent and it is a role King Charles relishes. It is his hope for his family to be reunited and there’s no better way than spending quality time with his grandchildren at Christmas. It would be truly special.”

The source added: “There’s nothing King Charles wants more than to see see his family united, and for his sons to put the past behind them and move forward. These are his twilight years and he wants to enjoy them with his grandchildren making special memories.”

Charles didn’t always have such a distant relationship with his grandkids, especially Archie, with the King saying he “couldn’t be more delighted” when he was born in May 2019. When he was christened, the King’s former Clarence House Instagram account shared a touching photo of Charles proudly gazing at Archie.

However, as Harry and Meghan decided to dramatically quit as working royals and move to the United States in early 2020, the King has spent little time with his young grandson. Their last known meeting was in 2022 when Archie came to the UK with his parents during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

However, when it came to the Coronation last year, which coincided with Archie’s fourth birthday, the youngster stayed in California with his mum Meghan. But it seems Archie wasn’t far from the King’s thoughts on his big day. At a special lunch after the Coronation, a well-placed source said the monarch thanked everyone for their hard work and reportedly raised a glass to his three older grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Charles and Harry have been distanced for years ( 
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
He wanted to remember “those that weren’t there” and wished Archie a very happy birthday, “wherever he was”. “It was apparently a very sweet moment,” a source told Daily Mail. Meanwhile, when it comes to Lilibet, it appears they have only met once – when she came to the UK with her parents and brother Archie in 2022.

At that point, she was rapidly approaching her first birthday and it was her first visit to the country, having been born in California. Speaking about this meeting, a source said: “The prince [King Charles], of course, hasn’t seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him. He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing.”

Charles did not attend Lilibet’s christening last March as it took place at Harry and Meghan’s home in California. However, it did emerge that both Lilibet and Archie would now be known as Princess and Prince – titles they are now entitled to given their grandfather is King.

While royal author Ingrid Seward, explained: “Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lilibet.

“That is why he will never break ties with Harry. He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son’s children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won’t be around forever.”