Prince HarryandKing Charleshave directly connected ahead of the monarch’s May 6coronation.
In this week’s cover story, a source tells PEOPLE the estranged father and son have had “positive conversations” — although not in person.
But with the coronation quickly approaching, Buckingham Palaceannouncedlast week that Prince Harry, 38, will attend the crowning ceremony whileMeghan Marklestays in California with their children,Prince ArchieandPrincess Lilibet.
King Charles and Prince Harry.Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage
The King, 74, is said to be “pleased” his younger son will be there, but a wider reconciliation hasn’t happened.
“At this point, it’s become so personal,” the friend tells PEOPLE. “Maybe what they wanted wasn’t achieved, but at the end of the day, he’s going there to support his dad.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla.Chris Jackson/Getty
The ongoing rift between Prince Harry and his family was evident in late March, when the Duke of Sussexwas in Londonfor a court hearing in his claim against Associated Newspapers but didn’t see King Charles or his brother,Prince William.
“Things are strained,” says a palace insider.
“Despite the wounds, it’s his son, and I can’t imagine he wouldn’t want him to be there regardless of the hurtful things that have been said,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith, author ofGeorge VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy, tells PEOPLE.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
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ForPrince Harry, his solo appearance at the coronation has everything to do with his desire to have, as he has stated, a “family,not an institution.”
“This is about a son showing up for his father rather than the optics of the institution,” the close friend says.
source: people.com
