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King Charles Stuns Royal Fans by Posting Photo with Son Prince Harry

King Charles with sons.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images

King Charles III has many duties as monarch of the United Kingdom, one of which is being a father.

In a new post on Instagram in honor of Father's Day, the British sovereign pulled out a number of throwback photos that included his sons, Prince William (40) and Prince Harry (38), as well as his late dad, Prince Philip. The appearance of Harry in the pics surely caught the eye of royal fans who were eager to know if there was any hidden meaning behind the post (more on that below).

The caption read, “To Dads everywhere, we wish you a special Father’s Day today.”

The first snap was taken in Poundbury, Dorset, in 2016, when King Charles (then Prince Charles) and his father attended the unveiling of a statue of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. In the photo, the father and son are seen smiling and chatting with one another.

Meanwhile, King Charles also included a snap that was taken in 1997, when his sons were just teenagers. This photo sees the trio of royals visiting Glenmuick on the Balmoral Castle estate.

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Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

Finally, the slideshow included a photo of Queen Camilla with her father, Bruce Shand, who passed away in 2006.

King Charles lost his own father in 2021, only a year before his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away. When Prince Philip died at the age of 99, he became the longest-serving royal consort in world history. His funeral took place on April 17, 2021 at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

At the time of Prince Philip's passing, King Charles shared a statement, where he said, “My dear Papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him, and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that.”

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Arthur Edwards/Pool/Getty Images

The inclusion of a photo of estranged son Prince Harry could be interpreted as something of an olive branch. After all, the relationship between the father and son has clearly not been the same since Harry left his role as a senior royal and moved to America (and went on Oprah…and wrote a book…). The choice of a throwback in particular seems to hearken back to a time when perhaps the king and his two sons shared a closer bond.

What a lovely post from the king.

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Prince William Poses with All 3 of His Children in New Father’s Day Portraits



calfee

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Joel is the former Associate Editor for News & Entertainment and has been reporting on all things pop culture for over 5 years. Before working at PureWow, he served as a Features Editor at ROCKET Magazine. When he's not dissecting the latest trends in entertainment (or guiding you on what to watch), he covers all the hottest red carpet looks and fashion movements. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him at an NYC concert, thrift store or LGBTQ+ bookstore happily perusing the shelves.