King Charles’ heartwarming response when asked to ‘bring Prince Harry back’

Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle quit their royal roles more than five years ago now but speculation persist about whether Harry would return to the fold – and it seems King Charles once did give his view on his younger son coming back to his old job

It’s been more than five years since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dramatically quit their royal roles – depleting numbers of the working members of the Firm.

And the problem of the dwindling numbers of those doing royal duties was exacerbated last year when both King Charles and the Princess of Wales were both diagnosed with cancer and took time out to receive treatment. At the time, reports had circulated that Harry, who has had a rocky bond with his father, would have been willing to temporarily return to duties, while the King was ill.

However, sources later hit back saying Harry would not be allowed a role and that the King’s diagnosis had not altered the arrangement he accepted to give up royal duties when stepping down as a working royal in 2020.

The King has often been the target of Harry, with several accusations levelled at him. In Harry and Meghan’s six-part Netflix series, the Duke accused his dad of lying during an important meeting around the time he quit the UK for the United States, while in his controversial memoir Spare, he said his father put his own interests before his.

But despite Harry’s public words, the King has remained almost silent on the situation – although did give an unexpected four-word reply when he was asked about Harry on an engagement in 2023. It came as the monarch had been visiting the University of East London’s Stratford campus in east London for its 125th anniversary, unveiling a plaque and opening its new hospital and primary care training hub.

During the visit, Charles went over to greet some students and other wellwishers who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the monarch. As he shook hands, one man shouted: “Bring back Harry please, can you please bring him back please, Sir?.” The King appeared to not hear at first about who the man was talking about, and asked him: “Who?” The man replied: “Harry, your son” to which Charles nervously and heartbreakingly replied: “It would be nice” before quickly moving on.

It’s been more than a year since Charles last saw Harry, who is now all but estranged from the royal family. Harry flew back to London from California in February 2024 following the King’s cancer diagnosis – however, the pair spent less than an hour together and Harry spent the night in a hotel before jetting back home.

It’s thought that Harry is keen to mend some bridges with his father and brother William – but he will have his work cut out. Royal author Robert Hardman recently told the Daily Beast: “Whatever reconciliation or bridge-building happens, it needs to be a three-way process.

“People keep asking about the king’s feelings, but William also has to be on board, which adds complexity. It’s tricky, and a situation nobody wants. But whatever the way forward is, it has to work for everybody.”