Prince Harry Reveals What Really ‘Created Problems’ With His Father Charles: ‘He Had Been…’

Prince Harry and King Charles have had a strained relationship following the former’s royal exit in 2020. Harry, however, has hinted that cracks in their relationship long pre-dated his decision to quit royal life. In his memoir, Spare, Harry shared that Charles, being an old father, created barriers for him. He suggested that the King’s old age often came in the way of their father-son bond.

Charles became father to Prince William at 33, and welcomed Harry two years later, at 35. As reported by Hello! magazine, Harry explained, “I'd always assumed that I'd be a young husband, a young father, because I'd resolved not to become my father.” The Duke added, “He'd [Charles] been an older dad, and I'd always felt that this created problems, placed barriers between us…He wasn’t the kind of father who played endless rounds of tag or tossed a ball until long after dark.”

Harry added, “He’d chased us all over Sandringham, making up wonderful games, like the one where he wrapped us in blankets, like hot dogs, until we screamed with helpless laughter, and then yanked the blanket and shot us out of the other end.” However, the Prince claimed that soon after, Charles lost all his energy. “Long before we were ready, he stopped engaging in that kind of physical fun. He just didn’t have the enthusiasm—the puff.” Interestingly, despite Harry's plans, he became a father to Prince Archie at 33—the same age Charles was when William was born. He welcomed his second child, Princess Lilibet, at 36.

Harry’s memoir mentions several incidents that widened the rift between him and his father. One of them was when Charles had made a ‘sadistic joke’ about his ‘real dad’ that deeply upset him. As per Page Six, Harry penned, “He’d always end with a burst of philosophizing…Who knows if I’m really the Prince of Wales? Who knows if I’m even your real father?” The Duke added, “He’d laugh and laugh, though it was a remarkably unfunny joke, given the rumor circulating just then that my actual father was one of Mummy’s former lovers: Major James Hewitt.”

Harry also detailed a heartbreaking event of how Charles had rudely called him a ‘spare’ shortly after his birth. According to Spare, Charles allegedly told Princess Diana, “Wonderful! Now you have given me an heir and a spare; my work is done.” While Harry harbors a disdain for the cruel nickname, the terms 'spare' and 'heir' are commonly used within the royal household. Princess Margaret was described as the late Queen’s ‘spare’, while Prince Andrew and sometimes Princess Anne were referred to as ‘spare’ siblings of Charles.