Issues with Prince Harry and Prince Andrew have ‘brought King Charles and William closer’, with royal sources saying any sense of ‘rivalry’ between the monarch and future heir are now behind them

King Charles III and Prince William are closer than ever amid friction with other members of the royal family, sources claim.

The King is said to have dispelled any notion of rivalry with his eldest son, who took center stage at D-Day commemoration events this week as both the monarch and Kate, Princess of Wales, continue their respective cancer treatments.

Duties are being shared among a shrinking number of working royals due to health concerns, Harry and Meghan’s departure from Britain for the US and Prince Andrew’s withdrawal from public life amid scandals.

As a result, William has found his diary full of public engagements, not least this week in France, where he joined leaders from around the world, including US President Joe Biden, to commemorate the fallen D-Day.

Sources have suggested that Charles may once have been reluctant to make his son more visible in public, but with cancer treatment and the increasingly small number of working royals at hand, he has been happy to change his thinking.

A friend of the king says Charles has consulted his son in recent years on difficult family issues involving Prince Andrew, Harry and Meghan. Their joint efforts to address these issues would have boosted both their personal and work relationships.

“If there was ever a green-eyed monster or a sense of rivalry between the two, that’s a chapter in the past,” the friend said. The times.

‘The king sees his son as a useful ally in family matters and increasingly in fulfilling the duties of nation and state.’

A source close to William added: “He really wants to support his father. That is nothing new, but with everything the king is going through with his treatment, he will of course continue to support him as much as possible.’

Charles was not entirely absent from this week’s commemorative events in Normandy. He and the queen attended a commemoration ceremony in Ver-sur-Mer on Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.

But William took center stage as an Army Air Corps colonel, whose tie he wore. Ironically, the AAC trained Prince Harry to become an Apache helicopter pilot.

However, the king’s youngest son was not present in France for the memorial services, despite his widespread and well-publicized support for military veterans through the Invictus Games and related charities.

Observers have suggested that there is still a rift between Harry and his father and the rest of the royal family following his decision to give up his royal duties.

Tensions were only exacerbated by a number of TV interviews expressing contempt for the family, and Harry’s autobiography Spare, which contained details of his fraught relationship with his older brother.

Harry did not see his father when he was last in London for an Invictus Games ceremony in May, despite being a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, where a garden party was being held around the same time.

However, he did see the king briefly in February, shortly after the monarch’s cancer diagnosis was made public.

Meanwhile, William was seen speaking to D-Day veterans on June 6, telling one hero that Kate would have “loved” attending the 80th anniversary ceremonies.

The Prince of Wales is also believed to have been a valuable source of advice to the king, as Charles has tried to address the other elephant in the room: his younger brother Prince Andrew.

Charles is currently at loggerheads with Andrew over his stay at the Royal Lodge. The Duke of York lived in a £30 million household that was largely removed from public life after the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

He is believed to be resistant to the idea of ​​moving to the smaller Frogmore Cottage that Harry and Meghan once called home.

But Charles is said to have threatened to cut ties with Andrew altogether unless he agrees – with William supposedly lining up to move in his place.

In such a row, Andrew would be accused of paying for his own security, accommodation and lifestyle without a royal stipend. Recent images suggest that the Royal Lodge has fallen into disrepair under the Duke.

With William serving as a sounding board there and his cancer treatment continuing, it is no surprise that the Prince of Wales is playing a greater role in senior royal duties on behalf of and alongside his father.

He will ride behind his father’s carriage in a modified overview of the troops during Trooping the Color; later this month he will also join his father at the garter service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, and at Royal Ascot for a day at the races.

He will also attend the upcoming State Banquet hosted for the Emperor and Empress of Japan on June 25, providing him, like his father before him, with further training in the world’s foremost apprenticeship system.

MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.