King Charles has made the state of his relationship with Prince Harry unmistakably clear this Christmas, according to a royal expert.
Discussing the annual 3 p.m. Christmas speech delivered by the monarch on Wednesday, December 25, commentator and author Tessa Dunlop suggested that tensions between the father and son remain unresolved.
For context, the Duke of Sussex has been somewhat distant from his family since 2020, when he and Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal duties.
The couple also relocated from the UK to the US, citing widespread mistreatment from the British tabloid media and certain prominent members of the royal family.
In the years following, Harry leveled several serious accusations against his family, detailed in his memoir Spare and his and Meghan’s Netflix documentary.
Among his claims were allegations that his brother William “pushed him to the ground” during an argument about Meghan, and that Queen Camilla had allegedly leaked stories about their lives to the media. Additionally, he shared his perspective on King Charles, writing:
“He had trouble communicating, trouble listening, trouble being intimate face-to-face,” Harry revealed. “On occasion, after a long multi-course dinner, I’d walk upstairs and find a letter on my pillow. The letter would say how proud he was of me for something I’d done or accomplished.
“I’d smile, place it under my pillow, but also wonder why he hadn’t said this moments ago, while seated directly across from me.”
After Charles officially received his crown in May 2023, Harry made headlines by leaving the royal celebrations early to return to the United States.
However, hopes of reconciliation seemed possible when Harry mentioned on US television that he “jumped on a plane” upon learning of his father’s cancer diagnosis, stating: “I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can.”
This led royal followers to believe the holiday season might bring forgiveness and healing between 40-year-old Harry, his father, and his brother. Yet, expert Tessa Dunlop argues that the relationship between the trio remains far from repaired.
Her reasoning? Charles’ decision to exclude his youngest son from the annual Christmas Day speech.
In a pre-recorded message from the Fitzrovia Chapel at the former Middlesex Hospital, the 76-year-old King praised UK communities for their response to the riots earlier in the year. He also expressed gratitude to medical professionals who cared for both himself and the Princess of Wales during their battles with cancer.
The speech further highlighted future king William, featuring a clip of him helping the homeless, along with a broader acknowledgment of the royal family.
He notably made no reference to Harry or Meghan in any context.
The two were also excluded, alongside the scandal-plagued Prince Andrew, from the list of family members highlighted in the special speech—a detail that Tessa suggests signifies Charles has “made up his mind” about the Sussexes.
“As well as a replay of the King’s famous hug with the New Zealand women’s rugby team,” she remarked.
“There was footage of Kate at Trooping the Colour, Camilla in Scotland and Australia, William serving food to the homeless and, of course, those Royal stalwarts, Princess Anne and the Edinburghs.”
Tessa further commented, “Crucially, also-rans Princes Andrew and Harry were nowhere to be seen.
“The King has clearly made up his mind about how to ‘act for the good of all,’ choosing to focus on family strengths, not weaknesses, to shore up a nation (and a world) for a difficult year ahead.”
