Prince Harry’s relationship with his father, King Charles, and elder brother, Prince William, has remained frosty, a chill that set in even before he and Meghan Markle decided to relocate to North America.
The Duke of Sussex’s last meeting with his father came during a brief visit to the UK in 2022, described as a short and formal encounter.
And when NBC Today host Hoda Kotb asked him point blank if he missed his brother or father, Harry deftly sidestepped the question.
“For me, at the moment, I’m here focused on these guys and their families,” he replied, speaking about the event he was attending.
“I’m giving everything that I can 120 percent to ensure they have the experience of a lifetime.”
“That’s my focus here, and then when I leave here, I get back and my focus is my family, who I miss massively,” Prince Harry added, but the subtle sidestep didn’t go unnoticed.
Royal watchers were quick to point out that the Duke had neatly dodged NBC Today host Hoda Kotb’s original question about whether he missed his brother or father.
Royal correspondent Chris Ship remarked on Twitter: “Asked in his @TODAYshow interview if he missed his brother and his dad, Harry completely swerves the question.”
It’s no secret that Harry’s relationship with King Charles became strained after he stepped back from royal duties in March 2020.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in 2021, he alleged that his father had stopped taking his calls and had “cut him off financially” following his departure.
Before officially announcing his decision to step down, Harry said he had spoken with the late Queen three times and with his father twice before communication abruptly ended.
“Because at that point, I took matters into my own hands,” he explained. “I needed to do this for my family.
This is not a surprise to anybody; it’s really sad that it got to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my mental health, for my wife’s, and for Archie’s as well.”
The father and son eventually reconnected in 2022, when Harry and Meghan paid a brief visit to the Queen.
But royal biographer Angela Levin claimed the meeting with Charles was far from smooth alleging the Sussexes arrived “15 minutes late,” leaving the then Prince of Wales waiting.
