King Charles has been surrounded by family over the past year, as he has undergone a battle with cancer, but infamously he’s not had every Royal around him. Prince Harry had a single 45-minute meeting with his father after the king’s diagnosis was made public last February, but Meghan Markle and the couple’s children haven’t set foot in the U.K. since Queen Elizabeth died in 2022.
While he no doubt gets to regularly see his grandchildren on Prince William’s side — that’s Prince George (11), Princess Charlotte (9), and Prince Louis (6) — things are very different when it comes to Harry and Meghan’s kids. Charles only got to be close to his youngest grandson, Prince Archie (5), for the first two years of his life before the Sussexes relocated to North America in 2020. As for granddaughter Princess Lilibet (3), as far as we’re aware he’s only met her in the flesh a single time.
As an old-fashioned Royal, even if he is growing more sentimental these days, his personal feelings over the absence of his grandkids in his life isn’t something Charles is going to talk much about publicly. Even so, it seems fair to say that, especially at this vulnerable time in his life, the king feels a “great sadness” that he will never see them grow up in the flesh.
“Once they’re gone, they’re gone”: King Charles “must hurt” over missing Archie and Lilibet’s childhood, but he’s warned not to “dwell” on it

According to Royal expert Jennie Bond, the enforced estrangement from his two youngest grandchildren is likely weighing on the king as he enters his 77th year.
The former BBC correspondent told The Mirror of how hard the absence of Archie and Lilibet in his life must hit him, especially as the continuing gulf between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the Royal Family shows no signs of closing.
“It must remain a great sadness to the King to be so distant from his two US-based grandchildren — he hardly knows them and there’s no prospect of that changing any time soon,” Bond speculated. “The early years in a child’s life are so magical — and once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Bond expressed her hopes that the king is able to take solace in the presence of William and Kate’s three children in his life and doesn’t let his distant relationship with his (very American) grandkids, Archie and Lilibet, bring him down. “I hope the King doesn’t dwell on his loss too much,” she added, even if she admitted “it must hurt.”
Of course, there is one potential silver lining to Charles’ sadness that allows him some connection to his grandchildren. Even if it’s not something that the public has been made aware of, it’s entirely plausible that the Sussexes keep him updated about Archie and Lilibet in private. “Maybe, behind the scenes, Harry and Meghan have sent pictures to the King,” Bond suggested.
Published: Jan 17, 2025 12:39 pm