A close confidante of the royal family has hinted at the reason Prince Harry didn’t meet up with his father, King Charles, in London.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, returned to the UK on Tuesday last week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

Later that day, the exiled royal’s reps confirmed to The Post that Harry would not be meeting with his estranged father due to the king’s “full” schedule.

Now, a friend of the Firm has claimed that Harry “forced” his estranged father to choose between the duke and his wife, Queen Camilla — ultimately widening the rift even further.

“Harry has made things very difficult for himself by saying such cruel and hurtful things about Camilla,” a source told the Daily Beast.

“Charles loves his sons, but he also loves his wife. The last few months have made it very clear how important she is; she has been the one propping up the whole edifice.”

“Harry has made it very clear, very publicly, that he despises her,” the insider added. “He has forced Charles to choose, which was a very silly thing to do because Camilla and he both chose each other a long time ago.”

The Post has reached out to Harry’s reps and Buckingham Palace for comment.

Harry’s feelings for Camilla, 76, were laid bare in his protocol-shattering memoir, “Spare,” in which he sensationally branded her “dangerous” and “the villain.”

4
A source has claimed that Harry made his father “choose” between him and Queen Camilla.Getty Images
The father of two also claimed that his stepmother leaked stories about the royal family to the media to maintain her image and boost her popularity.

It was reported last week that the father-son reunion didn’t take place after Harry “made certain demands” that couldn’t be met, according to a royal expert.

“There is some talk that behind the scenes, a lot of negotiating went on,” royal commentator Charlotte Griffiths told GB News.

“I think the reason was because Harry made certain demands about who could be in the room and who couldn’t. Although on the surface it looks like a snub, Harry made it very difficult for his father.”

4
Harry’s feelings for Camilla, 76, were laid bare in his protocol-shattering memoir, “Spare.”Getty Images
When asked to elaborate on the demands, Griffiths said “other forces” could’ve influenced the king’s decision.

“We know that Charles likes to meet Harry with Camilla in the room, which isn’t always a popular decision,” she continued. “Harry was without his wife as well, so this was fraught with difficulty.”

Harry’s trip to London marked the first time since his visit to see his father following the king’s cancer diagnosis in February, as well as his first trip since learning of his sister-in-law Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis in March.

4
In “Spare,” Harry claimed that Camilla leaked stories about the royal family to the media to maintain her image and boost her popularity.Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock
Elsewhere, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said Harry’s bombshell memoir — released in January 2023 — has left a deep scar on the royal family, specifically the king and queen.

“‘Spare’ was so badly planned, you felt that he’d not had advice, but to attack Queen Camilla was clearly a red line, as was pointed out by the press that he’s so hostile to,” he told the Sun. “Therefore it was important that the king acted as he did.”

In “Spare,” Harry wrote, “I have complex feelings about gaining a step-parent who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal P.R. altar.”

He said that meeting Camilla — referred to as the “other woman” in his book — was like an “injection,” writing, “Close your eyes and you won’t even feel it.”

The revelations left Camilla “hurt,” her pal later revealed.