- Prince Charles said he is "proud" of Prince Harry in a personal essay penned for Newsweek.
- He praised Harry's efforts on climate-change awareness and his charity's net-zero commitment.
- The comments come amid reports the pair have "barely spoken" after a fall-out.
Prince Charles said he is "proud" of Prince Harry in an essay penned for Newsweek on Tuesday after reports the father and son's relationship is at an "all-time low."
The Prince of Wales, who began the piece by discussing his public recognition and campaign to raise awareness about the lasting impacts of climate change starting fifty years ago, name-dropped his sons in the first half of the nearly 1,000-word essay.
Charles, 73, spoke about William's launch of the first-ever Earthshot Prize Awards in October 2021 before outlining Harry's own environmental work.
"As a father, I am proud that my sons have recognized this threat," Charles wrote. "And my younger son, Harry, has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in relation to Africa, and committed his charity to being net zero."
His words about Harry's environmental work and his charity Archewell, co-founded with wife Meghan Markle, come a month after journalist Matt Wilkinson reported in The Sun that their relationship had reached rock bottom, and that the pair had "barely spoken" in months.
According to anonymous sources speaking to the publication at the time, Charles' only communication with Harry since he and Markle decided to step back from royal life has been a scarce number of "fraught" phone calls.
However, royal biographer Nigel Cawthorne, author of "Prince Philip: I Know I Am Rude," told Insider Charles' latest comment shows effort on his part to finding a resolution.
"Prince Charles is clearly realizing that he has to take on the conciliatory role of the grown up that Prince Philip used to have," Cawthorne said.
"Like his father he is realizing that letting emotions fester will be the downfall of the Windsors. Prince Philip used what the Queen called his 'cheeky humor' to unruffle feathers, even with Harry and William's mother Diana," he added. "Charles will have to find his own way in keeping the family together rather than let it grow apart over quibbles."
While the exact status of their relationship remains unknown, Harry did speak out publicly on how it changed in the aftermath of his and Markle's move to North America while being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. During the interview, he said Charles had cut him off financially and stopped taking his phone calls shortly before their step back from royal life.
The Duke of Sussex also told Winfrey he came to the realization his father and his brother were both "trapped" in the royal family.
In December 2021, representatives for Harry issued a statement to The Sunday Times, saying he had shared concerns about Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, a Saudi billionaire given an honorary CBE by Prince Charles in 2016, and had severed ties with him after meeting him in 2015.
Mahfouz was allegedly told by Michael Fawcett, a former aide of Charles, that he would be granted a title in exchange for donations to the royal's charity, The Prince's Foundation. The BBC reported in November 2021 that Fawcett resigned from his role as CEO of the foundation following the allegations.
A spokesperson for the Prince of Wales told The Mirror he had "no knowledge of the alleged offer of honors or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities" and fully supported his foundation's investigation into the matter.
Clarence House and representatives for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.