If you’re fortunate enough to be a grandparent, you’ll be all too aware of the heartache that comes with being apart from your grandchildren for any meaningful stretch of time.

For the majority of folk, living in close proximity to their children’s children is an absolute must. Obviously that’s not always possible – my child’s grandparents live in another country, for example – but generally speaking, grandparents want to see as much of the youngest members of their family as physically possible.

Spare a thought, then, for King Charles, who not only lives a few thousand miles away from two of his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, but is also bound by the constraints of a family feud that means seeing them is not as simple a task as otherwise should be the case.

If we’re to believe reports, Charles is adversely affected by the fact that he has seen very little of Archie and Lilibet during their early years. And yet there are obvious hurdles in his way of finding any smooth and easy solution.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took their leave of the Royal Family – at least in so far as their official duties were concerned – an optimist might have clung to the idea that the only downside for the monarchy as a whole was that they would be short two individuals to use for public engagements and the like.

However, it quickly became apparent that there were altogether deeper reasons for the Sussexes’ decision to give up their lives as working royals, and the subsequent years have outlined beyond all doubt that there are significant cracks in the relationship and standing between Harry, Meghan, and the senior members of the Firm.

Having relocated across the Atlantic, Harry and Meghan wasted little time in letting their secrets be known to the world. Secrets, we might add, that painted the British Royal Family in a very unflattering light.

First came the bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, wherein the couple made a series of revelations that set the tone for what was to come. Seemingly untroubled by the precipitous nature of tensions between them and the likes of King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, they then released a Netflix series further examining the woes they had endured while living as working royals in the UK.

Last but not least came Harry’s tell-all memoir, Spare. Predicted to be a loaded gun pointed directly at the heart of the Royal Family, Spare did not disappoint in its vivacity, nor the controversial nature of its content.

Put simply, relations between Harry and Meghan and the monarchy are more strained than even the staunchest pessimists would have dared predict. In recent times there has been speculation that some among the involved parties are of a mind to find common ground that might make some sort of peace treaty possible, but as stands there are too many messy moving parts, too much uncertainty and damaged pride, to know for sure.

Yet when all is said and done – and indeed the most tragic aspect of the whole debacle – this is a family we’re talking about. Though it may be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for us mere mortals to relate to the lives of the royals, it must be assumed that they, too, harbor love, regret, and all the conflicted emotions that come in between as keenly as any other human.

Which brings us nicely to the subject of King Charles and his grandchildren. Courtesy of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Charles has Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis close at hand. But while that is surely a boon he is extremely grateful for, the fact remains that his two other grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, might as well live on Mars for how often he is able to interact with them.

It’s no secret that Archie and Lilibet have been bereft of the chance to grow up in close contact to those family members who breathe royal air. This is something said to plague King Charles, and though the monarch might remain at odds with the siblings’ parents, he’s apparently not of a mind to forsake a relationship with his grandchildren entirely.

June 4th heralded the third birthday of the youngest of the new generation of British royals, Princess Lilibet. A party was reportedly held at Harry and Meghan’s home in Montecito, California, and though no members of the Royal Family were on the guest list, a number of high-profile names, including celebrities such as Orlando Bloom, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Oprah Winfrey, were in attendance.

As per the Daily Mirror, royal expert Tom Quinn revealed that King Charles extended a birthday message to Lilibet, along with a gift, to mark her big day.

“King Charles had no intention of completely ignoring Lilibet’s birthday, so he has sent a gift along with a message,” Quinn said.

Quinn went on to claim that the King has another, more significant gift for his granddaughter, but he is holding back on it until such a time as the current family rift is better healed.

“He gave Prince George a beautiful hand-made wooden swing with George’s name carved on it, and he has plans to give something similar to Lilibet, but not this year. And not unless and until the family feud dies down,” Quinn explained.

The royal expert confirmed that “shockingly, no invitations to Lilibet’s party were issued to members of the Royal Family.”

Meanwhile, an old army friend of Harry’s expanded on the Prince’s decision not to add any of his family members to the guest list, stating: “Harry knew they wouldn’t come anyway, and he was pretty sure he would not have wanted them there. But he is really sad that Archie and Lilibet cannot have any kind of relationship with their cousins while his feud with his family continues.”

Just what twists and turns the narrative will take from here on out remains to be seen, but the rebuilding of bridges burned and the journey to restoring trust and amicability will undoubtedly be a slow and protracted process.

What do you think to the current feud between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the Royal Family? Let us know in the comments box.