King Charles has received advice from spiritual leaders which has led him to consider restoring his relationship with Prince Harry, The Mail on Sunday has learned.
Sources say the monarch is taking comfort from their guidance as he comes to terms with the death of his parents and the challenges of his new role.
Since inheriting the throne, he has spent more time researching theologies and teaching their central tenets, including the nature of forgiveness.
An insider said Charles had been given “spiritual nourishment” by his conversations with religious leaders and was now more open to the idea of a rapprochement with Harry, who has lived in self-imposed exile in California with his wife Meghan and their two children for the past four years.
“Faith has always been a part of Charles’ life and something he has explored, but since becoming king it has become more central,” the source said. “That reliance on faith and quiet contemplation has become a comfort and an asset for him and is helping him cope with the role as he adjusts to being king.”
To heal the rift, the king would have to put aside his anger over his youngest son’s deeply hurtful public comments.
The advice he received from spiritual leaders has prompted King Charles to consider repairing his relationship with Prince Harry, seen here with his son in 2018
In his memoirs, Harry called Camilla his “evil stepmother” and “the other woman.” And in a television interview watched by millions, he claimed that two members of the royal family had made a derogatory comment about the color of his son Archie’s skin.
It is well-documented that Charles, 75, is deeply saddened by the separation. He has not seen his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet since June 2022, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled to Britain to celebrate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Like his mother, who got through the darkest periods of her life through her faith and for whom belief was more important than protocol and duty, Charles, a spiritual man and faithful churchgoer, has long found solace in Christianity.
But as head of the Church of England, he has pledged to protect the different religions of diverse Britain “as zealously” as he protects Christianity.
Charles has always had a close and supportive relationship with Britain’s Jewish community, for example. And he is seen as a defender of Islam, with one historian noting that no other major Western figure has such a high status in the Muslim world.
Charles is a spiritual man, like his mother, and a regular churchgoer. He has long found support in Christianity [pictured with the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2022]
His coronation included a multi-faith message with a wider range of religions than ever before. Hindu and Sikh leaders were among the participants.
Regarding a possible reconciliation, the source said: ‘Charles misses his son.
‘He still loves Harry and wants him back for personal reasons, even though he and Meghan are not together. [want to] back to royal life.
“Harry will always be Charles’ beloved son. He has faith that Harry can return. He misses the bond they once had, and the door will always be open for him and his family. He does not want years of discord and disharmony to cloud his reign.”
The prospect of a thaw in the feud within the House of Windsor comes as Charles worries about the financial demands of the Sussexes if their television contracts dry up next year, as has been suggested.
Regarding a possible reconciliation, a royal source said: ‘Charles misses his son, he still loves Harry and wants him back for personal reasons’
People who know Harry well say his father no longer takes his calls or answers his letters. After a positive meeting in February following the king’s cancer diagnosis, relations between father and son deteriorated.
However, forgiveness is the cornerstone of most religions and is seen as the key to a healthy relationship with God and spiritual well-being.
Such belief systems consider making mistakes as human. People who want to live a good life should seek forgiveness rather than revenge.
However, a major obstacle to peace is the intransigence of Prince William.
He reportedly feels that his relationship with his brother has been irreparably damaged and that he has rejected the idea of a reunion.
In addition, William is toying with the idea of abolishing the religious oaths of the coronation, which could possibly lead to the dissolution of the Anglican Church.
Yet his father’s faith could not be stronger. The news that Charles has received spiritual counselling does not surprise those close to him. As king, Charles is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England with the title ‘Defender of the Faith’.
During his first Christmas broadcast as king in 2022, he spoke about his mother’s faith in God, which he “shared with all her heart”, and how he fulfilled a lifelong wish by visiting Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity.
There, he said, “he stood in silent reverence before the silver star set into the floor marking the birthplace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
He added: ‘It meant more to me than I can ever express to stand in that place where, as the Bible tells us, ‘the light that is come into the world’ was born.’
A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment.