Prince Harry hasn't "apologised on bended knee" to King Charles, royal expert says

There's likely still a lot of tension there

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry laugh during the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony on September 10, 2014 in London, England.
(Image credit: Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty)

Prince Harry has accepted King Charles' invitation to the coronation on 6 May, but that doesn't mean we should expect him to fully reconcile with the Royal Family any time soon.

Though the Duke of Sussex has clearly stated he would like to rebuild his relationship with his father and brother in the future, he has also said he wants them to make the first move. Therefore, it's unlikely that he's offered an apology for some of the revelations he made about his family in Spare, for example.

"Whilst I think it's really positive that there are green shoots of reconciliation, I don't think we should think that Harry's gone down on bended knee on the phone and apologised: 'Hello Pa, I'm so sorry for everything I've said.' That hasn't happened," royal commentator Emily Andrews claimed on TalkTV (via Express).

"What has happened is that Charles and Harry had a conversation about Charles inviting him to the coronation and Harry graciously accepted after his people spoke to Buckingham Palace people about what the event would entail."

It's a great thing for family relationships that Prince Harry will be at the coronation (albeit without Meghan Markle), but all in all we can't expect this to fix everything between them — particularly because Harry is reportedly planning to be in and out of there as quickly as possible.

It has also emerged that, even though Harry has spoken to Charles ahead of the coronation, he has not had any contact with his brother Prince William.

Royal editor Ingrid Seward told The Sun: "I’m glad he has spoken to his father, which has eased the path to rapprochement. Charles will welcome his son. I think his relationship with William is for another time."

Sadly, the two brothers' relationship has hit many bumps in the road in recent years, and it's unclear at this stage how and if they will be able to repair.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.