16 photos that show Prince Charles' close fatherly bond with his sons

Look back at William and Harry's childhood…

25 May 2021, 12:23 BST

Much has been said about the tension between Prince Charles and his younger son Prince Harry in recent months.

The Prince of Wales, 72, has not addressed his relationship with Harry in public, although the Duke of Sussex has made it clear that there is "a lot to work through". In March, he revealed that his father had cut him off and wasn't responding to his phone calls.

While Harry came back to the UK for his grandfather Prince Philip's funeral in April and saw his dad then, it's clear that their bond hasn't been repaired. Speaking on the Armchair Expert podcast in May, Harry said: "Certainly, when it comes to parenting, if I've experienced some form of pain and suffering because of the pain and suffering that perhaps my father or parents suffered, I'm gonna make sure I break that cycle so that I don't pass it on."

And later that month, Harry also said on his Apple TV+ series, The Me You Can't See: "My father used to say to me when I was younger, he used to say to William and I, 'Well, it was like that for me, so it's gonna be like that for you.' That doesn't make sense. Just because you suffered, it doesn't mean that your kids have to suffer. In fact, quite the opposite. If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever experiences, negative experiences that you had, you can make it right for your kids."

Despite all the pain Harry still feels and felt growing up, he is determined to reconcile with his dad. Speaking to Oprah in March, he admitted: "I will always love him. There's a lot of hurt that's happened. I will continue to make it one of my priorities to heal that relationship."

And in 2018, he also spoke about his father's kindness on Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, saying: "It's the things he does behind the scenes that people don't know about. I don’t think people realise quite how kind he is."

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As the family deal with their issues privately, we're taking a look back at some of their happier moments when Charles showed his close bond with his two boys…

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Back in October 1985, Charles adorably played peek-a-boo with his children to try and get them to smile and laugh during an official photoshoot.

Charles was assisting photographer Tim Graham at the home shoot, which took place at Kensington Palace shortly after Harry's first birthday; William was aged three. The results were priceless – super cute photos of William stifling his laughter while Harry chuckled.

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The following year in 1986, Charles and Diana posed with their sons and adorable pet dog again at home in Kensington Palace.

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prince charles prince harry holding hands

Harry held onto his dad's hand as they explored the great outdoors in Balmoral, Scotland during the Easter holidays in 1987.

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William and Harry are both talented polo players and like many members of the royal family, they had an early start riding as children. Here Charles and his sons on their ponies are pictured in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Slightly older and as more experienced riders, William and Harry follow their dad on horseback in Sandringham.

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prince charles riding bikes harry william

Harry may have said that going out on bike rides with his dad wasn't something he was able to do as a child – and something he loves doing now with son Archie in California – this photo shows a five-year-old Harry on the back of Charles' bike during a day out in Sandringham.

Charles gets a cuddle from his younger son after competing in a polo match.

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Despite the formality of the event – Charles and his sons were attending the Beating the Retreat ceremony at Kensington Palace – the future King still enjoyed a chuckle with his boys.

Charles walks hand-in-hand with Harry after playing a game of polo at Smith's Lawn Polo Club back in 1993.

Ski holidays were a regular occurrence for the royals. Here, the family take a break from skiing and hop on their toboggans during a trip to Klosters, Switzerland.

prince charles william harry laughing snow

The father and sons looked incredibly close back in 2000 when they returned to Klosters for their annual ski holiday. William was 17 at the time while Harry was 15.

Two years later and again in Klosters, William was pictured affectionately placing an arm around his dad's shoulders.

There were poignant moments at Princess Diana's tenth anniversary memorial service in London, including this one where Harry was pictured greeting his father with a kiss.

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