King Charles and Prince Harry have practically seen their relationship dissolve in recent years. Harry felt that his father didn’t think he was quite as important as Prince William for many years – the reason he decided to name his tell-all memoir Spare was no mere coincidence.

Harry’s relationship with the Royal Family has been troubled for many years. He and his brother, Prince William, don’t speak at all these days, while his father is said to be furious with what his estranged son has said and done of late.

While reports about whether peace talks could be on the table continue to differ, Prince Harry is making his own career moves. The fact that he and Meghan Markle have embarked on two so-dubbed “royal” tours this year wasn’t lost on his father, with reports suggesting Charles isn’t even taking Harry’s calls now.

In fact, one rather shocking claim about the phone calls has been made, implying that King Charles has one brutal reaction whenever he learns that Harry is trying to phone him.

In 2020, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan felt that enough was enough. The Sussexes declared that they would be leaving their senior royal roles and and settled in sunny Montecito, California not long after. There they raised their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and focused on a new chapter in their lives.

Harry’s book Spare shocked the royal community with its release in January last year. The Duke and his wife had already leveled some accusations at the Royal Family, but what was revealed in the book sent the royals into turmoil.

It was the final nail in the coffin regarding Harry’s relationship with Prince William and Kate Middleton. Not only that, but Harry’s bond with his father also took another damaging hit.

What Prince Harry said about King Charles in ‘Spare’

Harry revealed many details in Spare, including elements of his childhood and how his father behaved. As per the Duke, the fact that he wouldn’t be as important as his older brother had already been established on the day of his birth.

That Harry was unhappy with how Charles acted after his mother’s death – Harry claimed his father didn’t even hug him to console him – is no secret. And in Spare, Harry mentioned how he believed that, as the book’s title confers, he was his family’s “spare” member.

He even claimed he knew he was born in case his big brother William needed blood or an organ donation.

“I was the shadow, the support, the plan B,” Harry wrote. “I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy, I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion … This was all made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s journey.”

The word “spare” has been synonymous with Harry and his feelings about his role in the Royal Family. He even claimed that Charles was the first to say the word.

Harry told a story in his book about a “joke” his father “allegedly” told Diana the day he was born.

“‘Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare — my work is done,’” Harry wrote of his dad’s words in Spare.

“On the other hand, minutes after delivering this bit of high comedy, Pa was said to have gone off to meet with his girlfriend,” Harry said, referring to now-Queen Camilla. “So, many a true word spoken in jest.”

“Don’t even think about talking about my wife like that”

As per many reports, Meghan Markle was also something of an outsider within the royal sphere. She was part of the Royal Family for some years, but when Queen Elizabeth II died, Meghan wasn’t welcome to travel to Balmoral with Harry to say her final goodbyes.

Then-Prince Charles and Princess Anne were the only ones who made it to Balmoral before the late monarch took her last breath. Prince William traveled with Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Sophie Wessex, but Kate Middleton didn’t travel with them.

Instead, she stayed in London to pick up Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis from school and prepared to tell them what had happened.

As mentioned, Meghan was apparently not welcome in Blamoral. In his book, Harry wrote about the horrific moment he found out about the Queen’s passing, as well as what his father told him about Meghan not being welcome.

“When the plane started to descend, I saw my mobile phone light up. It was a message from Meg, ‘Call me as soon as you read this.’ I checked the BBC webpage. My grandmother had died. My father was the King. I put on a black tie. stepped off the plane into heavy drizzle.”

Harry continued: “Then my father called again. He told me I was welcome at Balmoral, but… without her. He started to explain his reasons, but they didn’t make any sense at all, and it was disrespectful as well. I did not tolerate it from him. ‘Don’t even think about talking about my wife like that.’ Repentant, he said, stammering, that he simply didn’t want the place to be full of people.”

“‘Nobody’s wife was going to go, not even Kate,’ he told me, ‘so Meg shouldn’t either,’” he concluded.

King Charles is not answering Prince Harry’s calls, per source

Much has been said about Prince Harry and King Charles’ relationship recently. When the monarch was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, Harry decided to travel to the UK and see his father to express his support.