King Charles 'was not speaking' to Prince Harry when Archie was born, photographer says
King Charles 'was not speaking' to Prince Harry when Archie was born, photographer says
Scarlett O'Toole, Jasmine Carey Sat, November 14, 2026 at 7:53 AM UTC
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Prince Harry is not close with his father (Image: Getty)
It is no secret that over the past few years, King Charles and his youngest son, Prince Harry, have had a rather tense relationship.
In the six years since the Duke of Sussex stepped back from royal duties alongside his wife Meghan Markle, there have reportedly been periods when the father and son were not even on speaking terms.
While their relationship is believed to be on steadier ground now, with the pair having last met in the summer, it appears the tension between them was far more serious than many might have realized. A royal photographer has now revealed Charles and Harry were experiencing difficulties long before Harry's departure from royal life.
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This includes 2019, when Prince Archie - Harry's firstborn child - was born. It appears that while the king would have been overjoyed at the news, he was reportedly not on speaking terms with Harry at the time.
These claims have been made by veteran photographer Arthur Edwards, who has spent decades documenting the royal family. In his new book Cup of Tea, Arthur?, Edwards revealed he learned of the rift during a trip with the king at the time of Archie's birth.
Prince Archie was born in 2019 (Image: DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The trip in question took place in Germany, where King Charles - then known as Prince Charles - declared to the world that he "couldn't be more delighted" upon hearing the news of Archie's birth.
Edwards subsequently reached out to The Sun picture desk asking for a photograph of Archie, taken at Windsor just two days after his birth.
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This happened because Edwards wanted to present the images to the king. He remembered, "When my phone pinged, I showed Camilla pictures of little Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in his parents' arms and got a photo of her looking at the latest royal grandchild on my screen.
Their relationship has not always been smooth-sailing (Image: Getty Images)
"Camilla said, 'Can you show it to the prince?'"
Edwards then revealed he was told by Julian Payne, the prince's press secretary, "No, don't do that, Arthur." Edwards asked Payne about this, with the press secretary replying, "He's not talking to his son."
The photographer stated this marked the initial moment he recognized any friction between the king and Harry. Since this happened eight months prior to Harry stepping back from royal duties, Edwards noted he was later taken aback that relations had been strained for such a long time.
The reason Harry and the king weren't communicating at the time of Archie's birth remains unclear, as does the timeline for resolving the issue. Neither the king nor Harry has addressed the situation publicly.
Nevertheless, this is thought to have signaled the beginning of multiple instances when dialogue between father and son ceased entirely. Harry even stated in 2025 that the king refused to communicate with him.
This is not thought to reflect the current situation, as Harry brought his family to visit his father at Highgrove in July. This visit came a month before the Sussex family's return to Britain.
They are believed not to have met with the king since their move back to the UK, likely attributable to the monarch's demanding schedule.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
