Prince Harry has stated that he hopes for a reconciliation with King Charles and other members of the royal family with whom his relations have cooled since he moved to the United States six years ago. The King’s younger son, who is 42, said in a major interview with GQ magazine that he wants to smooth relations and encourage everyone involved to leave the past behind.
Harry caused a deep rift in the British royal family when he and his wife Meghan left royal duties and moved to California in 2020. Over the years, they have exchanged sharp criticisms, and Harry has barely spoken to his older brother, the heir to the throne Prince William, for years. He recently met with his father again, and recently returned to the United Kingdom with Meghan and their two children.
"With everything that is happening in the world, it is most important to reconcile," Harry told GQ. He also said he understands the interest in the situation in his family because people can identify with him. "There are disagreements between brothers and sisters, damaged relationships between children and parents or between children and one of the parents. Some people want reconciliation attempts to succeed. I want it to succeed," he stated.
His spokesperson clarified that these last words were not intended as a provocation to William or any other member of the family. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, also said that although "scars remain forever," he wants to encourage everyone to leave the past behind. "As far as I am concerned, there is already enough drama in the world and in people’s lives, so there is no need for further problems within the family. It is simply not worth it," he said.
In the interview, he touched on topics he has discussed previously, such as the consequences of losing his mother when he was 12 years old and issues with his own mental health. He also spoke about the reasons for his return to the United Kingdom, highlighting that the fact that he could enrol his children in a British school "means a lot" to him. "I did not realise how important that would be to me," he said.
Harry also expressed hope that his strained relationship with the British media, which among other things led to his departure from the country and resulted in a series of lawsuits against newspaper groups, would now improve. "I hope the situation will change. Certain battles were fought, which was necessary, but I hope we can all draw a line under it now," he said. "As with everything else happening in the world, there are parts of the past that we – I am sure – all of us, including me, my family, and even part of the British media, would like to leave behind and turn to action for the common good," Harry concluded.
