Prince William and King Charles reportedly gave Prince Harry a single-word response when he requested a meeting during his return to the UK for Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021. According to Harry's memoir Spare, the encounter was marked by tension and a lack of warmth.
Harry, who had travelled from California without his heavily pregnant wife Meghan Markle, described waiting anxiously for his father and brother. When they arrived, he noted their 'grim, almost menacing' appearance and their 'tightly aligned' posture, which made him feel as though they were meeting for a 'duel' rather than a walk.
Upon greeting them with his nicknames 'Willy' and 'Pa', Harry received a single-word response: 'Harold'. He described the word as 'painfully tepid'. The Duke, whose full name is Henry, was often called Harold by his family.
The meeting took place just weeks after Harry and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, which had deepened the rift within the Royal Family. In his memoir, Harry reflected on the vulnerability he felt, comparing it to walking behind his mother's coffin or going into battle.
Harry later told The Telegraph that he omitted several stories from Spare about his relationships with his brother and father, stating that some things were too personal to share publicly.
