Prince Charles’ lingering regrets over Diana as he vows to ‘keep the door open’ for son Harry.

The Prince of Wales met secretly with his youngest son at Windsor Castle earlier this week after the Sussexes traveled to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games

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Prince Charles ‘hit hard’ by Harry’s departure, royal expert says

Prince Charles has vowed to keep the door open for his son amid the collapse of his relationship with Diana, it has been reported.

Earlier this week, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a secret stopover in Windsor as they traveled from the US to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games.

After the event, it was revealed that the couple had also met with the Queen, who has yet to meet their daughter Lilibet.

They also saw Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall for 15 minutes during their heavily guarded visit to Windsor Castle.

Charles and Camilla then left the castle together for St. George’s Chapel after meeting Harry in person, although they claimed they had hardly spoken to each other in the last few months.

The rift between Charles and Harry has become widely publicized, with the younger prince criticizing his father during an interview with Oprah Winfrey last year.

Harry told the talk show host that his father did not adequately support him and also accused him of financially cutting him off.

Charles, who is said to be concerned about his younger son’s memoir due to be published later this year, was reportedly nervous about the meeting.

“He loves his son and was heartbroken by everything that happened, although he fears history will repeat itself with Harry as it did with Princess Diana,” a friend of Charles’s said MailOnline.

“But he also wants to keep the door open and keep talking, something he still regrets not doing with Diana.”

Late last year Richard Kay, a personal friend of the Princess of Wales, hinted that the relationship between the royal father and royal son could have long-term and serious implications for the monarchy.

He spoke after Harry made a veiled mockery of his father, amid allegations of a money-for-honors scandal engulfing his Charles’ charity.

“Such a rebuke — especially if it persists — could have repercussions for the prince as a monarch as we approach his rule,” Kay said of the criticism.

“And that’s why this week, those close to Charles see the dissolution of the father and son relationship as potentially just as damaging as that between the prince and Princess Diana.”

If Kay is right, Charles’ falling out with Harry could prove to be a problem for the future king.

In 1991, when he appeared to be happily married to Diana, an Ipsos Mori poll found that 82% of Britons thought Charles would make a good king.

By 1996, the year of the divorce, it had dropped to 41%.

That number now stands at 33%.

After meeting Charles and Camilla, Harry and Meghan moved on to the Queen’s private residence.

Senior royal sources have described the meetings as “incredibly warm and good-natured” and “very cordial”.

The Duke and Duchess told Her Majesty they plan to return soon so the Queen can spend time with 11-month-old Lilibet and Archie, two who are believed to be in the US.