Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex in ‘regular contact’, sources reveal

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex are in “regular contact”, sources have revealed, amid signs that newborn Lilibet Diana might already have helped to heal the family rift.

Prince Charles, 72, on Tuesday described his delight at becoming a grandfather for the fifth time, which he said was “such happy news.”

It is understood that he has been speaking to his younger son frequently and that their relationship has turned a corner following the raft of shocking claims Prince Harry, 36, has made in recent months.

The Royal family is keen to bring the Duke and Duchess of Sussex back into the fold.

Despite being grievously hurt by their explosive allegations of racism and neglect, they recognise that the Duke, in particular, is hurting and that further ostracisation would only cause further damage.

The Queen is said to have invited the Duke to join her for lunch at Windsor Castle later this month, when he returns to the UK to join the Duke of Cambridge as they unveil a statue of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, on July 1.

As the Prince concluded three engagements in Oxford, he made his first public reference to the birth of Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

Addressing assembled workers and apprentices at a Mini production plant at Cowley, he said: "The development of technology like electric vehicles, or green hydrogen for that matter for heavy transport, is vital for maintaining the health of our world for future generations, something I'm only too aware of today having recently become a grandfather for the fifth time.

“And such happy news really does remind one of the necessity of continued innovation in this area, especially around sustainable battery technology, in view of the legacy we bequeath to our grandchildren.”

After driving a new green-coloured electric mini off the production line, the heir to the throne joked about the vehicle, paraphrasing the words of Sir Michael Caine's character from the 1960s movie The Italian Job.

Prince Charles, who drives an Aston Martin sports car converted to run on surplus wine, said: "If I may say so, at least my test drive a moment ago was on the whole without incident and only went to prove that the new Mini is silent but deadly and also a very good colour indeed.

"And to paraphrase the immortal words of Sir Michael Caine, 'at least I didn't blow the bloody doors off'."

The positive development in his relationship with Prince Harry came as Meghan’s new children’s book, The Bench, about the bond between fathers and sons, was published, to mixed reviews.

Yet while royal tensions might be thawing, Prince Charles is unlikely to meet his new granddaughter anytime soon.

The couple and their two-year-old son, Archie, left the UK for Canada in autumn 2019 and Archie has never returned.

During their televised Oprah Winfey interview in March, Prince Harry revealed that his relationship with his father had broken down, admitting that he felt “really let down” by Prince Charles’s lack of empathy and claimed he had stopped taking his calls.

He said there remained “a lot to work through”.

The Duchess’s friend, US broadcaster Gayle King, later claimed that the Duke had spoken to his father and brother about the allegations but claimed the conversations were "not productive".

As he continued to open up about his own mental health struggles, Prince Harry revealed in a recent podcast that he had moved to the US to “break the cycle” of “genetic pain” for his own children, implying that he had been failed not only by his father but through association by the Queen and Prince Philip too.

The Queen has made clear that the issues raised will be dealt with privately.