Claims that Prince Harry could return to royal duties were dismissed when the King made a public appearance at church yesterday.
Sources say Her Majesty is “firmly of the opinion” that there is no turning back for the Duke of Sussex as a working royal “in any way, shape or form”.
Insiders emphasize that this does not mean Charles, 75, is unwilling to repair his relationship with his estranged youngest son in the future.
But this is seen as very different to Harry being invited to support the King professionally during his battle with cancer.
Prince William is also understood to share this view, although Kensington Palace has made it clear that his focus is on returning to work after taking time off to care for his wife following her operation last month.
Claims that Prince Harry could return to royal duties were dismissed when the King made a public appearance at church yesterday.
Sources say Her Majesty is “firmly of the opinion” that there is no turning back for the Duke of Sussex as a working royal “in any way, shape or form”.
Queen Camilla attends the Sunday service at St Mary Magdalene Church today
Speculation was rife over the weekend after The Times claimed that the Duke of Sussex is set to return to a “temporary royal role” to support his father during his illness.
Harry, 39, has been heartened by the “warm exchanges” between him and the King since his father’s cancer diagnosis was revealed earlier this month, it was suggested.
The prince had told friends he would be happy to “take on a royal role while his father is unwell”, it was said.
A ‘royal insider’ said that ‘on all practical levels it makes perfect sense for the family to come together to support the King while he is ill’, adding: ‘The feeling is that this arrangement could work.’
But well-placed sources have ruled this out entirely, saying it is wrong to suggest that discussions have taken place on the issue, even at an informal level.
Sources say Charles, the Prince of Wales and the rest of the royal family are in “strong agreement” that the terms of the so-called “Sandringham Summit” stand.
During this meeting, in January 2020, the late Queen made it clear that the “half in, half out” approach desired by her grandson was unworkable.
She insisted that Harry must renounce his royal affiliations and agree not to trade with his royal connections if he insisted on doing business abroad. A source said: “The terms of the deal were very clear and nothing that has happened recently, including the king’s illness, has changed that.”
Prince William is understood to also share this view, although Kensington Palace has made it clear that he aims to return to work after taking time off to care for his wife following her operation last month.
Speculation was rife over the weekend after The Times claimed that the Duke of Sussex is set to return to a “temporary royal role” to support his father during his illness.
Another source added: ‘Have the King and Harry been talking? Yes. Does this mean a return to the fold, even temporarily? No.’ Apart from a small number of investitures, the King does not plan to offload a large number of duties to other family members while he undergoes treatment, another source said.
If you need your family to step in, William can easily cover any additional duties.
Her Majesty seemed in good spirits as she went to church on Sandringham Estate with Queen Camilla, greeting well-wishers.
He has spent recent weeks at his Norfolk estate, returning briefly to London during the week for medical treatment and meetings.
Over the weekend, it was also claimed that royal aides ‘blocked’ Harry from meeting the King at Sandringham when he made a 25-hour visit to the UK in early February to see his father.
Staff feared they would “never get rid of him”, the Sun reported, and instead invited him to a 45-minute meeting at Clarence House.
But a source noted that Harry had an engagement in Las Vegas a day after returning to the United States.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Harry said he was glad he visited the UK to see his father.
The prince, who traveled to Vancouver, Canada, last week with his wife Meghan for a celebration of the Invictus Games, said he would see her again as he has other trips planned to the UK and did not rule out the suggestion that their family breakdown could be healed by the crisis.