Prince Harry wrote his father a ‘deeply personal’ letter in which he promised to ‘respect the institution’ before he flew back to the UK for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
The Duke of Sussex, 36, penned the note to Prince Charles after their relationship ‘hit rock bottom’ in the wake of his explosive Oprah Winfrey interview with Meghan Markle last month and he accused his father of refusing to take his calls.
However the Prince of Wales still remains ‘very hurt’ by Harry and Meghan’s decision to take part in the controversial interview, which was aired while Prince Philip was in hospital, and the pair have not yet mended their fractured relationship.
Prince Harry (left) and Prince Charles (right) walks behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin as it makes its way to St George’s Chapel in Windsor
Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William, Peter Phillips, Prince Harry, Earl of Snowdon David Armstrong-Jones and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence during the funeral of Prince Philip
In his letter, Prince Harry ‘outlined his reasons for leaving’ his position as a senior royal in order to emigrate to California and said he would ‘respect the institution’, sources told The Mirror.
The Duke of Sussex, who decided to reach out to his father as he prepared to reunite with his family for the first time after stepping back as a senior royal, was ‘forced to write letters’ after a ‘complete communication breakdown’ with Prince Charles, sources claim.
A royal source told The Mirror: ‘He wrote a deeply personal note to his dad to try and set things straight but tensions are still running high and things haven’t exactly ironed out the way he had hoped.
‘There had been a kind of unspoken agreement between everyone to park whatever has been on each person’s mind, and solely concentrate on supporting the Queen ahead of Prince Philip’s funeral.
‘The feeling inside the camp was that it wasn’t the time nor the place to go over things, especially at such an emotional time for everybody involved.’
During his interview with Winfrey last month, Prince Harry said he felt ‘very let down’ by his father Prince Charles, accusing him of refusing to take his calls and then ‘cutting him off’ financially when he and his wife emigrated.
Asked about his relationship with Prince Charles, Harry said they were now speaking again, adding: ‘There’s a lot to work through there, you know? I feel really let down, because he’s been through something similar.
‘He knows what pain feels like, and Archie’s his grandson. I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship’.
When asked about if he remains close to Prince William he replied: ‘I love William to bits. He’s my brother. We’ve been through hell together. I mean, we have a shared experience. But we’re on different paths’.
Meghan also claimed that a relative of Prince Harry’s asked him ‘how dark’ their unborn child would be, with the Duchess claiming Archie being mixed-race was a ‘problem’ for the royals after Winfrey asked her if they were worried their son would be ‘too brown’.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin, covered with his Personal Standard, is carried on the purpose built Land Rover Defender followed by the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex, the Earl of Snowdon and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
Prince Charles walks behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin at it makes its way to St George’s Chapel
Prince Harry was sat directly across from his older brother and his wife Kate having flown in without his wife Meghan
The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Cambridge look towards Philip’s coffin before it was lowered into the Royal Vault
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their interview with Oprah Winfrey last month
The former Suits star said she would not name the person because it would be ‘too damaging’ for them but she confirmed that the duke was asked the question – ‘how dark his skin might be when he’s born’ – ‘by family’.
Earlier today a source revealed that Prince Charles ‘walked and talked’ with Prince Harry at Windsor Castle before taking part in a ‘family summit’ with both his sons after Prince Philip’s funeral.
It is not clear what was discussed at the meeting, but the source said they began the ‘long task’ of looking at condolence letters sent from around the world.’
The talks come as speculation whirls around when the Duke of Sussex will fly back to LA to be with pregnant wife Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry arrived in the UK on April 11, reportedly with his own US private security team.
According to the Telegraph, the Duke was met at Heathrow Airport by Met Police officers, who helped whisk him off to the royal residence of Frogmore Cottage – where he was placed into quarantine ahead of the funeral.
The prince is said to have booked a return flight on British Airways. The airline has just one direct flight to LA, which left Heathrow at 4.30pm. It is not clear if Harry left on that flight.
Prince Charles has since travelled to his Welsh cottage in the Brecon Beacons to privately grieve the loss of his father.
