It is believed that King Charles is worried that his actions might be misunderstood by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry amid a period of tension between them.
The monarch “feared upsetting” Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with a gift for Prince Archie’s fifth birthday.
According to a royal commentator, the monarch is expected to have sent a “homemade gift” to his grandson for his birthday but was “worried” that it may be “misinterpreted” by the Sussexes.
On Monday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie celebrated his fifth birthday in the US.
Meghan and Harry live in California with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, meaning that the King was unable to see his grandson on his birthday.
Royal commentator, Tom Quinn, said: "There has even been talk that he will send one of his own watercolour paintings to Archie as a present as Meghan loves homemade gifts and dislikes extravagant expensive presents.
"But King Charles and his team are desperately worried that whatever the King sends to his grandson may be misinterpreted by Harry and Meghan,” Quinn told The Mirror.
Quinn recalled an occasion when Charles gave Prince George a hand-made swing with the royal’s name engraved on the seat.
But he claimed that Prince Harry told him “repeatedly” that a present like that was “too grand” for Prince Archie.
King Charles is a keen artist and paints outdoor scenes of natural beauty in watercolour.
The monarch began painting in the 1970s after being inspired by his art teacher at Gordonstoun in Scotland.
A report in 2016 showed that the King has sold copies of paintings worth £2million since 1997.
Quinn also suggested that the King may have reached out to his son Prince Harry to organise a video call for Archie’s birthday.
He said: “If he makes an ordinary telephone call to Harry it means he can have a quick word with Archie without the need to talk to Meghan, a prospect that fills him with dread.”