As Prince Archie, the son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has celebrated his fifth birthday on May 6, King Charles III, Archie’s grandfather, reportedly felt “uncomfortable” about making a video call to greet the young prince.
According to royal author Tom Quinn, King Charles harbors a discomfort with modern communication technologies, preferring traditional methods such as letters.
Despite this, the king’s desire to maintain a connection with his grandchildren, who reside in Montecito, California, compels him to overcome his reluctance.
“King Charles dislikes new technology,” Quinn revealed to The Mirror. Nonetheless, he is “desperate to keep in touch with his grandchildren on the other side of the Atlantic, so he will certainly call Harry and wish Archie [a] happy birthday.”
Quinn elaborates, “If he makes an ordinary telephone call to Harry, it means he can have a quick word with Archie without the need to talk to Meghan, a prospect that fills him with dread.”
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Archie’s birthday was ‘bittersweet’ for Charles
The significance of May 6 is twofold for King Charles, marking not only Archie’s birthday but also the anniversary of his own coronation in 2023. Royal author Phil Dampier describes the day as “bittersweet” for the king, who feels a sense of heartache over his limited relationship with his grandchildren.
{{/usCountry}}The significance of May 6 is twofold for King Charles, marking not only Archie’s birthday but also the anniversary of his own coronation in 2023. Royal author Phil Dampier describes the day as “bittersweet” for the king, who feels a sense of heartache over his limited relationship with his grandchildren.
{{/usCountry}}“I’m sure it breaks Charles’s heart that his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet are growing up on the West Coast with American accents, and yet he hardly knows them,” Dampier told The Sun.
“Harry and Meghan may arrange occasional Zoom calls, but it’s not the same as seeing them in person.”
The royal author notes the contrast between King Charles’s close bond with Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—and the distance with Archie and Lilibet. “I’m sure he’d love to have the same relationship with his other two. It’s a very difficult situation.”
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“Charles probably compensates for not seeing them by showering love on George, Charlotte, and Louis,” he added.
“But obviously, it would be better for all concerned if the rifts were healed and some kind of normal family relations resumed.”
The last in-person meeting between King Charles and Prince Archie and Lilibet was in June 2022. Since then, the relationship has been maintained through occasional Zoom calls.