King Charles' rift with his youngest son Prince Harry is still rumbling on - and the monarch is feeling one particular absence keenly.
Their distance - both physically and emotionally - means that the monarch has hardly spent time with his two youngest grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. He has only seen Archie, five, in person a handful of times and three-year-old Lilibet once.
But now, Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, is said to have committed himself to building a relationship with the youngsters and is not content with only seeing them on video calls. Sources close to the 75-year-old say he is "keener than ever" to focus on his family and his duties and "make up for lost time".
Princess Lilibet on her first birthday (PA)
Prince Archie, who is now five, with his parents (Getty Images)It wasn't always such a fraught relationship - especially with Archie - with the King saying he "couldn't be more delighted" when he was born in May 2019. When he was christened, the King's former Clarence House Instagram account shared a touching photo of Charles proudly gazing at Archie.
However, as Harry and Meghan decided to dramatically quit as working royals and up sticks from the UK and move to the United States in early 2020, the King has spent little time with his young grandson. Their last meeting was in 2022 when Archie came to the UK with his parents during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
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However, when it came to the Coronation last year, which coincided with Archie's fourth birthday, the youngster stayed in California with his mum Meghan. But it seems Archie wasn't far from the King's thoughts on his big day. At a special lunch after the Coronation, a well-placed source said the monarch thanked everyone for their hard work and reportedly raised a glass to his three older grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Prince Harry with his father King Charles (AFP via Getty Images)He wanted to remember "those that weren't there" and wished Archie a very happy birthday, "wherever he was". "It was apparently a very sweet moment," the source told Daily Mail. Meanwhile, when it comes to Lilibet, it appears they have only met once - when she came to the UK with her parents and brother Archie in 2022.
At that point, she was rapidly approaching her first birthday and it was her first visit to the country, having been born in California. Speaking about this meeting, a source said: "The prince [King Charles], of course, hasn't seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him.
"He hadn't met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing." Charles did not attend Lilibet's christening last March as it took place at Harry and Meghan's home in California. However, it did emerge that both Lilibet and Archie would now be known as Princess and Prince - titles they are now entitled to given their grandfather is King.
The King's decision to step up efforts and become more involved comes after he reportedly sent Lili a "heartfelt gift and card" on her third birthday last week. A friend of Harry insisted: "There has never been an issue with the King being in their lives and there never would be. The door's always open."
While royal author Ingrid Seward, explained: "Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lilibet.
"That is why he will never break ties with Harry. He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son's children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won’t be around forever."
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