King Charles' huge 'regret' about relationship with Prince Harry: 'Painfully aware'

A royal insider has revealed King Charles' major "regret" about his relationship with his youngest son Prince Harry. Charles is keen to build a relationship with his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet and is reportedly frustrated that he only gets to see them occasionally over FaceTime.

According to sources, Charles has only met Archie and Lilibet a handful of times but hopes to spend more time with them amid his cancer battle. Queen Camilla is also reportedly encouraging Charles to build a bond with the two children, with claims the King sent Lilibet a "heartfelt gift and card" for her third birthday last week.

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Royal commentator Michael Cole told MailOnline that Charles is feeling a "lack of closeness with his California grandchildren acutely".

He adds that while Charles "looks as happy and as content as I have ever seen him", his "only regret is that he does not see Archie and Lilibet".

Charles is also reportedly stressed that the "innocent young children" will face a life where they have no "real contact" with the royal family, including their "royal cousins". While he undergoes cancer treatment, Charles "would welcome the pleasure and comfort of seeing his grandchildren".

"Painfully aware that time is precious, the King regrets that he cannot be closer to his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet," Mr Cole says. "It is not just the 5,000 miles between Clarence House and California that keeps the monarch at a distance from his youngest grandchildren.

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"The antipathy between Prince Harry and his wife Meghan and the Royal Family has created a deep divide that makes normal family relationships so fraught as to be almost impossible."

The royal expert adds that Harry's constant barbs at Charles and Camilla, and Prince William and his wife Kate, have meant that "tensions have only increased."