King Charles 'barely speaks' to Prince William amid growing feud

King Charles and Prince William’s relationship has grown so frosty that the pair “barely speak,” with most exchanges managed by their private secretaries rather than face to face conversations.

The breakdown, royal correspondent Tom Sykes reports for The Daily Beast, stems from three flashpoints, modernisation, duty, and the King’s health. 

Matters have only been complicated by Harry’s looming UK return, which has heightened the sense of strain inside the House of Windsor.

This summer’s family gathering at Balmoral offered little sign of unity. While William spent time with his family, Charles is said to have retreated to his private home at Birkhall, keeping his son at arm’s length and avoiding informal contact altogether.

Sykes suggests the frostiness is not new but the result of long standing scars. 

Charles has been accused of being “often absent” as a father and of remaining distant even from his Wales grandchildren.

According to the Scottish Daily Express, three fault lines define the uneasy relationship between monarch and heir and each one cuts to the heart of how they see the Crown’s future.

First is the question of modernisation. William reportedly feels his father’s reign is lagging, weighed down by pomp, tradition, and Charles’s fondness for uniforms and ermine robes. 

In William’s eyes, it leaves the monarchy looking out of touch at a time when relevance is everything.

Second is their very different approach to duty. The King even amid health concerns, insists on powering through a relentless schedule, seeing service as paramount. 

The Prince of Wales by contrast, prioritises balance, believing family life and well-being should not be sacrificed to the diary.

From Charles’s vantage point, William isn’t doing enough as heir. Sources say the King is frustrated that his son avoids the bread and butter of the role showing up across the country in all weather instead choosing to give precedence to his family.

These clashes have already spilled into public view. Earlier this year, William had to be persuaded to attend Pope Francis’s funeral.

Behind palace doors, insiders describe the relationship as “tense, difficult, formal, and fraught.” 

Yet friends of William insist he remains “a loyal soldier” who respects the hierarchy, even as he grows ever more firm in his refusal to support reconciliation talks with Harry is considered “a terrible, terrible idea.”