King Charles’ weekly ritual with Prince William he used to have with both his ‘darling boys’

King Charles' weekly ritual is incredibly heart-warming but it seems it might not necessarily have continued with Prince Harry too

King Charles' weekly ritual explained. Seen here he attends a State Banquet hosted by President Ruto
(Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)

King Charles’ weekly ritual with Prince William is something he reportedly used to also have with his younger “darling boy” before the so-called “rift” with Prince Harry.

Since ascending the throne His Majesty has had increasing demands upon his time and an even more packed schedule. However, it seems King Charles still makes time to continue a heart-warming tradition with Prince William. Whilst it might be challenging to work around so many different commitments and them living a little way apart at Clarence House and Adelaide Cottage respectively, The Telegraph’s associate editor Camilla Tominey has shed King Charles’ weekly ritual of calling his eldest son. According to her, His Majesty and Prince William reportedly speak on the phone every Sunday and apparently used to do so with Prince Harry. 

King Charles and Prince William attend day one of Royal Ascot 2019

(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Spare by Prince Harry | £14 at Amazon

Spare by Prince Harry | £14 at Amazon

Reflecting upon his experience of life as a member of the Royal Family, Prince Harry gives fascinating insights and revelations all in his own words. This best-seller reflects upon everything from the loss of Princess Diana to Prince Harry's love story with Meghan Markle.

Camilla wrote that senior royals like King Charles take an “old school” approach and claimed that he prefers to communicate via the phone or letters. 

“Traditionally, he would always schedule a call with both of his sons on a Sunday,” she alleged, before adding that “while he still converses weekly with William, there is remarkably little contact with his other “darling boy”. 

So it seems as though King Charles’ weekly ritual has continued to happen with the Prince of Wales, even if Prince Harry isn’t always there on the scheduled call. It’s not clear how often, if at all, Prince Harry does speak with his father in the same traditional weekly timeframe. However, an insider is said to have echoed Camilla’s suggestion that there’s generally “little contact” between His Majesty and his youngest son. 

Prince Harry and King Charles attend the 'International Year of The Reef' 2018 meeting

(Image credit: Photo by Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

They supposedly claimed that, “Communications between the King and Prince Harry remain pretty poor” and that the two royals “don’t speak much, if at all.”

The last time Prince Harry was in the UK was in September before travelling to Germany for the Invictus Games. Reports claimed that father and son didn’t reunite during this time and they last reunited in public at King Charles’ coronation. This took place on Prince Archie’s fourth birthday and it’s been suggested that Prince Harry’s departure after the ceremony was sparked by a desire to make it back to his Santa Barbara home to spend some of the day with him. 

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attends the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

(Image credit: Photo by Andy Stenning - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Camilla expressed her belief that the supposedly reduced contact between King Charles and Prince Harry might not have been helped by the release of Spare and specifically about the depiction of Queen Camilla in it. The royal commentator described King Charles as reacting with “disappointment and dismay” at his youngest son’s description of his stepmother as a “villain” and “dangerous”.

Prince Harry himself has refuted the suggestion that his references to Her Majesty were derogatory in any way, telling ITV’s Tom Bradby that, “There’s no part of any of the things that I’ve said are scathing towards any member of my family, especially not my stepmother.”

Queen Camilla and Prince Harry stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace

(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

But whilst the release of Spare and the events of recent years might reportedly have led to “pretty poor” communications between the King and Prince Harry, it’s lovely to think that King Charles’ weekly ritual with Prince William has at least continued. In 2021, royal expert Emily Andrews claimed in the Mail on Sunday that King Charles and Prince William’s relationship has grown closer and “their bond much stronger” over the past few years.

“Much more aligned and now much more at ease, Charles and William are acutely aware that the future of the monarchy rests on their shoulders,” she declared.

Emma Shacklock

Emma is a Royal Editor with eight years experience working in publishing. Her specialist areas include the British Royal Family, ranging from protocol to outfits. Alongside putting her royal knowledge to good use, Emma knows all there is to know about the latest TV shows on the BBC, ITV and more. When she’s not writing about the next unmissable show to add to your to-watch list or delving into royal protocol, Emma enjoys cooking, long walks and watching yet more crime dramas!