King ‘saddened’ by Prince Harry’s sabotage accusation

London: King Charles is said to be saddened by Prince Harry’s claim that aides are “sabotaging” his reconciliation with his father.

A Buckingham Palace source said the suggestion that the institution was out to scupper the father-son relationship was “counterproductive”.

The source told London’s The Telegraph: “It’s very sad, especially because everyone has been working hard behind the scenes to make the private relationship work.”

The Duke of Sussex was reunited with his father for the first time since February last year during a four-day trip to London earlier this month. The pair spent around 50 minutes together over tea at Clarence House.

The duke told guests at a charity reception that evening that his father was “great” and aides revealed that he had thoroughly enjoyed his visit and loved being back in the United Kingdom.

However, some described the reunion as something of a “test” for a duke whose indiscretion in recent years has caused huge family turmoil. One source was quoted as saying that if any details of the meeting emerged, or there was any commentary from Harry’s camp, it would be “back to square one”.

The following weekend, it was reported that the duke might now take part in more public events in Britain, returning “four or five” times a year.

Efforts were said to be under way to get father and son together more frequently in the coming months, with a view to them appearing together at a public event. But in response, royal sources made it “absolutely clear” that the duke could not be a “half-in, half-out” member of the royal family and could not have any official public role.

One was quoted saying: “Whoever is behind them seems to have mistaken a brief tea and a slice of cake for the Treaty of Versailles.”

Then, on the weekend, details of the Duke’s meeting with his father were published in The Sun.

The newspaper claimed that Prince Harry was “surprised by the formalities” of their reunion, which was described as “awkward” and akin to an audience with dignitaries and official visitors. The duke was said to have described the meeting as “very official, like an official visit”.

Details were also published of the gifts exchanged, including a framed photograph of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The Sussexes responded by claiming that people were trying to “sabotage” the reconciliation by casting their meeting in a negative light.

A source, who wanted the details to remain private, said: “The quotes attributed to [the duke] are pure invention, fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son.”

Then came a prominent story published in the Mail on Sunday that blamed the “men in grey suits” for trying to scupper his reunion with the King.

Such is the level of suspicion between the two sides that each blames the other for the breakdown in trust between the King and the duke.

Friends of Prince Harry believe palace aides leaked details about the meeting to try to sabotage his chances of returning to the UK more often, by making it appear that he had shared the information with journalists. Some believe he is seen as a threat, and that palace aides would rather he stayed in the United States.

One told The Telegraph that rather than trying to orchestrate some kind of plot to be welcomed back into the institution, he simply wanted to see his father more often and perhaps even bring his children back to Britain.

At the palace, there is genuine bemusement, with aides insisting that all involved would love to see the duke on good terms with his father, not least the King himself.

They believe the duke’s team leaked the details of their meeting and as such, all involved are caught in a stalemate, with renewed fury and frustration on both sides.

Such developments now threaten to derail the fragile peace process. One well-placed palace source insisted that it was not quite back to square one for the duke.

“It’s certainly not helpful though,” the source said.

The Telegraph, London

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