King Charles’s recent Christmas speech has been interpreted by a royal expert as a clear indication that the rift between him and Prince Harry persists. Commentator Tessa Dunlop analyzed the monarch’s annual address, delivered on Wednesday, December 25th, suggesting that tensions between the King and his youngest son remain significantly unresolved. This comes after a period of estrangement that began when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to the United States.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure to the USA in 2020 (Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
Since their move, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have voiced strong criticisms against the Royal Family and the British media. They cited mistreatment from both the tabloid press and senior royal members as reasons for their departure. Prince Harry further detailed his experiences and grievances in his memoir, Spare, and in the couple’s Netflix documentary series. These public disclosures included serious allegations, such as an accusation that Prince William physically assaulted him and claims that Queen Camilla had leaked stories to the press. Harry also described his father, King Charles, as emotionally distant. In Spare, he wrote about receiving letters from his father expressing pride instead of direct verbal communication, even after sharing meals together.
Despite the ongoing tensions, there seemed to be a possibility of reconciliation when Prince Harry visited his father following King Charles’s cancer diagnosis. Harry stated in a US television interview that he intended to visit his family as often as possible. This led some observers to hope that the Christmas season might offer an opportunity for healing and reconciliation between Prince Harry, King Charles, and Prince William. However, Tessa Dunlop believes that the King’s Christmas speech suggests otherwise, indicating the family is far from mending their fractured relationships.
King Charles acknowledged Prince William in his Christmas address (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Dunlop points to the King’s exclusion of Prince Harry from his Christmas Day address as the primary evidence of this continued rift. In his pre-recorded message from Fitzrovia Chapel in London, King Charles commended communities for their resilience during recent riots and thanked medical staff for their care during his and Princess Kate’s cancer diagnoses. Significantly, the King specifically acknowledged Prince William, showcasing footage of him volunteering at a homeless shelter, and praised other working members of the Royal Family. However, neither Prince Harry nor Meghan Markle received any mention in the address.
This omission, placing Harry alongside the disgraced Prince Andrew as unmentioned family members, leads Tessa Dunlop to conclude that King Charles has made a definitive decision regarding the Sussexes’ role within the family. Dunlop noted the broadcast included clips of various Royal Family members: “There was footage of Kate at Trooping the Colour, Camilla in Scotland and Australia, William serving food to the homeless and, of course, those Royal stalwarts, Princess Anne and the Edinburghs,” highlighting the visual representation of key royals. She emphasized the absence of Harry and Andrew: “Crucially, also-rans Princes Andrew and Harry were nowhere to be seen.”
King Charles and Prince Harry’s relationship has been strained since 2020 (Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
According to Dunlop, this deliberate exclusion signals a strategic choice by the King. She argues, “The King has clearly made up his mind about how to ‘act for the good of all’, choosing to focus on family strengths, not weaknesses, to shore up a nation (and a world) for a difficult year ahead.” This interpretation suggests that King Charles is prioritizing a streamlined, publicly strong image of the monarchy, consciously excluding Prince Harry and Meghan as part of this strategy, indicating the “Royal Family Christmas Rift” is far from being resolved.
