King Charles wanted Harry at Christmas. Wills had one thing to say about it.

Royal watchers might have hoped for a reunion between King Charles and his youngest son, Prince Harry for Christmas this year. 

However, according to reports, the royal has spent the holiday season with just his wife Meghan Markle and their two children — four-year-old Archie and two-year-old Lilibet — in the United States following years of conflict. 

And while King Charles "would love" to have his family around the dinner table at Christmas, per royal correspondent and biographer Kate Nicholl for Vanity Fair, there was ultimately "no chance" of that happening because of the "hostility" between Harry and Prince Wills. 

In fact, sources told Nicholl that Prince William and Princess Kate would not want to be in the same room as Harry and Megs, "let alone spend Christmas with them".

Watch: 4 revelations from Prince Harry's memoir. Post continues after video. 

"The King would love nothing more than to have Christmas with his sons and all his grandchildren, but it’s not that simple and there is no chance the Sussexes will be coming," Nicholl wrote. "It would make things very difficult because there is still so much hostility towards Harry and Meghan, particularly from the Prince and Princess of Wales. 

"Charles is also deeply nervous about the risks of conversations being leaked by the Sussex camp, which is why there have been very few of them."

Following Meghan and Harry's decision to step down as senior royal members in 2020 – along with their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, ground-breaking Netflix special and the release of the royal's memoir, Spare, in January 2023 — the feud between Harry and Wills only deepened, with a source telling The Daily Beast the heir felt "utterly betrayed" by the memoir and "hates" his brother.

Compounded by the fact Prince Harry detailed more than a few conversations he had with the Prince and Princess of Wales, it's perhaps not hard for some to understand why. 

Prince Harry has a strained relationship with his older brother. Image: Getty,

Ahead of the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, in January 2023, a 'friend' close to the royal said that "if" the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "decided not to show their faces, no one would mourn their absence". 

And while that might've happened almost a year ago, it seems like the opinion hasn't changed, as it was reported in November that there was "no way back" for the brothers' relationship.

Journalist and royal author Omid Scobie's new book Endgame gave insight into the fraught relationship, saying it is "beyond repair" on both sides and that Wills "doesn't want to know" his "defector" brother, who he believes has been "brainwashed by an army of therapists", according to The Daily Beast.

"[William] absolutely f**king hates him," an old friend allegedly told the publication, speaking about the heir and his brother.

"Harry sold his family out to the media for millions of dollars, and William can’t forgive that breach of trust."

Feuding siblings aren't only on the royal side either. 

In 2022, Meghan's sister Samantha Markle sued the Duchess for making false and reckless statements in her Netflix doco and interview with Oprah Winfrey that allegedly "destroyed" her life and resulted in her receiving death threats and scrutiny from her community. 

While Meghan's attorneys have claimed the lawsuit is baseless, Samantha's lawyer, Peter Ticktin, claims that as part of the libel action, he will demand both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex submit to a deposition. According to The Sun, this could mean being asked about the identity of the royal members who questioned the colour of the pair's son Archie's skin – under oath. 

"The royal racists issue needs to be explored," Ticktin told The Sun. "There’s reasons why she abandoned her family and turned on her family. This is a person who wants to be able to say horrible things and not really care if she destroyed the lives of people in her family.

"She doesn’t care if she destroys the monarchy."

The possibility of this happening won't do anything to soothe tensions between Megs, Harry and their royal in-laws, the Prince and Princess of Wales. (It has, however, already been confirmed by journalist and royal author Omid Scobie that it was Kate Middleton and King Charles who were the "royal racists" following an accidental release of his manuscript Endgame in the Netherlands.)

But while the brothers' relationship seems to be firmly in the bin, King Charles may still be hopeful for a reconciliation. According to the Daily Telegraph, Harry's family all sang 'Happy Birthday' to the monarch over FaceTime last month, and planned to call him later down the line as well.

During his annual Christmas message, King Charles notably chose not to sit with family photos surrounding him, as his mother Queen Elizabeth II did during her reign. Instead, he stood beside a living tree for the first time ever, marking his ongoing environmental efforts – and sidestepping additional speculation about the family feud.

According to The Daily Beast, he's been "explicit" about his love for his youngest son – no matter how fraught the relationship is between Wills and Harry.

"Charles has kept the door open to Harry. He has been very explicit about that, saying he loves him. That’s what parents do," an insider said. 

"[But] William doesn’t have the same forgiving attitude. That dynamic is not unique in family arguments."

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.