King Charles opened up about his 'immense pride' for both Prince William and Prince Harry in his Royal Military Academy speech

• King Charles spoke of his "pride" in both Prince William and Prince Harry in a recent speech.
• Speaking to graduating cadets, Charles reflected on his sons going through the same process.

King Charles gave a rare insight into his relationship with his sons during a speech at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on Friday.

While congratulating a group of 171 officer cadets on completing 44 weeks of training, the king made a reference to Prince William, 40, and Prince Harry, 38, the Evening Standard reported. Both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex graduated from the Royal Military Academy in 2006, according to CBS News.

"Speaking as a father of two alumni of this academy, I know they will be full of immense pride in witnessing you on parade," Charles, 74, told the crowd.

"Having attended — and survived — two of the other military academies 50 years ago, I think I have some idea of the challenges which are inherent in military training," he continued.

"I have experienced the nerves, the exhaustion — even the self-doubt. But despite such recollections, it is the lifelong friendships which are forged through shared hardship, and the humor you find in the darkest hours of the coldest, wettest nights, which remain with you," he added.

Charles' public words of pride toward William and Harry come after his youngest son shed light on their complicated relationship several times over the past year.

Reports of a rift between Harry and Charles were confirmed by the Duke of Sussex himself following the release of "Harry & Meghan," his Netflix docuseries, in December 2022 and "Spare," his memoir, in January.

The docuseries, the book, as well as several TV interviews Harry did with UK and US media outlets, painted a fraught relationship between father and son, Insider previously reported.

In "Spare," Harry made several surprising claims, including that growing up Charles wrote him letters of praise instead of complimenting him to his face and that Charles initially did not want to pay for Meghan Markle to become a full-time royal — a decision he believed wasn't related to money but rather his father's desire to not have "someone new dominating the monarchy" and "overshadowing him."

Speaking directly on the state of their current relationship, Harry told Anderson Cooper in his "60 Minutes" interview promoting "Spare" in January that he's not on speaking terms with Charles or William, but would like to reconcile in private, People reported.

Whether reconciliation is on the cards remains unclear, but Charles has indicated he is also open to the prospect. Author Katie Nicholl, who frequently writes about the royal family, previously told Insider's Mikhaila Friel that Charles "has a great capacity for forgiveness, just like the late Queen."

"He has shown his willingness to reconcile in the many olive branches he has extended to Harry and Meghan, not least how they were included at the Queen's funeral," she added.

Another positive sign to come this week included Harry's RSVP to the coronation. While Meghan will be remaining in the US with their children, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Duke of Sussex would be flying to the UK for the royal event in a statement shared with Insider on Wednesday.

However, Marlene Koening, a royal historian, told Insider that while Harry's attendance shows he has "recognized that it's important for him to be there for his father," it isn't likely a reconciliatory moment is on the cards at the coronation, which is taking place on May 6.

"This is not the time for reconciliation. This is about Charles. This is his day," she said.