Prince Harry reportedly reached out to his father King Charles before his tell-all memoir Spare was released.
It came after the monarch is said to have refused to contact Harry after news of the book reached the King. Now a new book, Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, by author Omid Scobie has detailed the alleged ins and outs of the royals.
According to the writer, Charles was given chances to speak to his son while Harry worked on Spare. Despite it being seen as a chance to air any “grievances”, Charles chose not to for “months,” reports The Mirror.
In the end, Scobie says Harry opted to reach out to his father after receiving guidance from a close pal. The phone call was meant to resolve some of their interpersonal issues, but it came with its own challenges.
A friend of Harry told the author: “It was an awkward conversation, but he knew if he didn’t make those first steps, there would never be any progress. There was no raised voices, no arguments… but the King was cold and brief rather than open to any proper dialogue.”
The conversation reportedly failed to achieve what was hoped. It meant Charles and his second son continued to have a strained relationship.
But, Scobie revealed many in the family were unhappy with the way the King approached their conversation. A source told the author: “It’s complex, but there’s increasing frustration from some of the wider circle of family members that Charles won’t fix things for the sake of everyone.”
After all, as Scobie points out, the release of Spare only did more disastrous damage with the family’s approval plummeting swiftly. There does however seem to be no end in sight for the feud.
It has previously emerged phone calls between Charles and Harry have continued since. Although, the Mirror says not much progress is seen during the calls.
A source told OK Magazine: “I think for anything serious, it would require Harry to make a public statement of apology – to the King, to his brother, to all the British and Commonwealth citizens, acknowledging he made a mistake. Until he does that, these calls amount to nothing.”