Buckingham Palace Shares Joyful Video as Royal Rift Shows No Sign of Healing
King Charles III has marked a significant milestone in his reign, celebrating the legacy of his 2023 coronation—while offering no public acknowledgment of Prince Harry’s recent emotional appeal for reconciliation.
Amid renewed tensions and the fallout from Harry’s failed UK security appeal, Buckingham Palace released a cheerful video showing the monarch reviewing five commissioned artworks that captured memorable moments from the coronation at Westminster Abbey. The portraits, created by artists Phoebe Stannard, Fraser Scarfe, Gideon Summerfield, and two others, were formally presented to the King at Clarence House in September 2024.
“As part of Their Majesties’ Coronation celebrations, The King commissioned five artists to capture some of the most significant moments of the weekend,” read the Palace’s message alongside the video.
The timing of the release drew attention, coming shortly after Prince Harry’s candid BBC interview in which he revealed his desire to reconcile with his family—but claimed his father, despite his ongoing battle with cancer, “would not speak” to him. He also expressed concern about returning to the UK without security, saying he could no longer safely bring Meghan Markle and their children.
Though Harry attended the King’s coronation, his seat in the third row reflected his downgraded role in royal affairs. His brief, 30-minute meeting with his father earlier this year after news of Charles’s diagnosis had raised hopes of a thaw—but royal insiders now believe that hope may have been extinguished by Harry’s latest remarks.
As King Charles presses ahead with his public duties and legacy-building moments, the contrast between the joyful palace tribute and the deepening family estrangement has become impossible to ignore—signaling a royal divide that may no longer be bridgeable.
