Ahead of Prince Archie turning 7 on May 6, royal commentators believe the occasion serves as another emotional reminder of the ongoing distance between Prince Harry and King Charles. Their kids, Archie and Princess Lilibet, live in California with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
In fact, they reportedly have not seen their grandfather since the family’s UK visit during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. According to experts, this has genuinely been affecting the king.
King Charles likely sad as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son celebrates birthday, per expert
Royal expert Duncan Larcombe recently suggested that Archie’s recent birthday may genuinely be especially difficult for King Charles amid the continued rift within the royal family. Speaking to The Mirror regarding this situation, he said, “I think King Charles is full of regrets over the whole situation; he definitely wouldn’t have wanted it to go this way. He has spoken about how much he enjoys being a grandparent.”
Although King Charles and Queen Camilla recently travelled to the US for a state visit, the trip reportedly did not include any meeting with Prince Harry or his children. Royal author Richard Palmer claimed the visit may have sparked some uncomfortable feelings for the Sussexes. He further explained, “I’m sure there’ll be sadness there. And if it’s being talked about at Archie and Lilibet’s schools or nurseries, it would certainly be awkward. It’s upsetting for both the Sussexes and the King.”
Palmer further recalled that during the Sussex family’s appearance at the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee events, senior royal insiders had indicated that King Charles was delighted to spend time with Archie and Lilibet. Discussing this in detail, he added, “When the Sussexes came over for the Queen’s jubilee and attended Trooping the Colour, a senior royal figure made it very plain that the King was thrilled to spend time with his grandchildren. There were hopes at that stage that things could be improved, but sadly, that’s not how it’s worked out, and there’ve been quite a few setbacks since then.”
