King Charles has returned to at least some of his royal duties after receiving treatment for his cancer, which was revealed in January. The monarch, who was crowned a little more than a year ago, has been spending a lot of time at the royal estate of Sandringham while undergoing treatment. Still, while it can be assumed that recovery has taken up the bulk of his energy, the ongoing family feud with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may also have been on his mind.

While he hasn’t made amends with the Sussexes, now more than ever, he is reportedly working hard to try and mend the relationship. That’s not necessarily through a burning desire to make things right with Harry and Meghan, but rather to be able to grow closer to his US-based grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.

While his closest family is obviously supporting him through his recovery, one royal expert has now claimed that the monarch is a “workaholic” who knows ‘time is ticking’ on his rule. With that in mind, Queen Camilla’s latest admission on King Charles’ health suddenly becomes much more serious.

King Charles has had a tricky start to his reign by anyone’s standards. Since taking over after the late Queen Elizabeth II, the monarchy has faced many challenges, including questions about its role in modern society and private issues.

King Charles ‘heartbroken’ over non-existing relationship with Archie and Lilibet

Of course, the feud with Harry and Meghan has been the focus, after the string of accusations they made about the royals. A byproduct of the strained relations has not been that King Charles has seen very little of his son, but also that he’s been bereft of spending time with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Charles has yet to visit Archie and Lilibet in the US, and as a result it’s been some time since he had a chance to see them. He’s reportedly only met Archie five times, while Lilibet, who turned three some weeks ago, has only seen her royal grandfather once.

In the fall of last year, there were reports that Charles and Harry were planning peace talks. However, contrary sources suggested that there was “no chance” Harry would meet with his brother, William, to bury the hatchet, as the future king refuses to see his younger brother.

In any case, nothing materialized. Though Harry and his family were said to have been invited to Charles’s 75th birthday in November, they decided not to attend.

“Charles would want Harry and Meghan’s children there,” royal expert and author Angela Levin told The Sun.

“If Harry and Meghan want to make an excuse, that’s their decision. If Harry wants to go to get an apology, then he can get lost.”

While Charles’s ties to Harry and his daughter-in-law remain strained, he is reportedly “heartbroken” about his non-existent relationship with Archie and Lilibet.

Now 75, he’s not getting younger, and with the shock cancer diagnosis that was revealed in January, the monarch is now said to be grasping the seriousness of the situation surrounding seeing (or rather not) his US grandchildren.

“He knows that he won’t be around forever”

Speaking with the Mirror, royal expert Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I: The Inside Story of the King and Our Late Queen, said Charles’ cancer diagnosis has made his relationship with Archie and Liiibet “all the more poignant,” as he realizes he “won’t be around forever.”

“Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lilibet,” Seward explained.

“That is why he will never break ties with Harry. He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son’s children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won’t be around forever.”

Harry and Meghan have made many accusations about the Royal Family since departing British shores. And though members of the Firm have had strong opinions about all that’s been said, what happened a few weeks ago appears to have escalated the disagreements between the Sussexes and the monarchy.

It came as a surprise to many when Harry and Meghan embarked on what some saw as a ‘royal’ visit to Nigeria for three days to champion the Invictus Games in mid-May.

There, Harry and Meghan met with wounded soldiers and their families, and the trip was a huge success. Reportedly, though, the Nigeria visit sparked a reaction of a different kind in the UK. According to a royal insider speaking with the Mirror, King Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, were “furious” about Harry and Meghan’s trip.

Tom Quinn told the Mirror that the Prince and Princess of Wales are not just angry with Harry and Meghan Markle, but suggests that the couple fears that their nightmare has come true.

King Charles ‘discussing’ stripping Harry & Meghan of royal titles

“William is absolutely furious and determined to find a way to stop this happening in the future. Charles is said to be angrier than anyone has ever seen him,” Quinn told the Mirror, adding that William is upset that the Nigerians “treated Meghan and Harry as if they too thought this was an official tour.”

“It’s as if Harry and Meghan have gone rogue—their Nigeria trip is a bold statement that they refuse to accept they are no longer working royals. William and Charles are scratching their heads and thinking, ‘How are we going to control this nightmare situation?’”

“For Charles and William, it’s as if Meghan and Harry are saying, ‘We don’t need your permission to be working royals – we will do it on our own terms whenever and wherever we like,’” Quinn added.

King Charles and Prince William might not be able to do anything to stop Harry and Meghan from traveling in a manner reminiscent of royals, but a new claim suggests that the king has an ace up his sleeve.

According to Quinn, King Charles has been discussing stripping Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their titles.