King Charles lll commented on his grandchildren amid regret speculations due to their distancing

King Charles lll recently hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on June 25. honoring the Emperor and Empress of Japan. During his speech, he touched on various Japanese pop culture references, including Hello Kitty and Pokémon. However, what stole the spotlight was the reference he made to his grandchildren: 

“I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing — the Pokémon phrase ‘gotta catch ’em all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me, it is, perhaps, aspirational.”

This joke at the state banquet comes amid regret speculations due to the distance between him and the grandchildren he has on Prince Harry’s side.  His oldest son, Prince William, shares Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis with Kate Middleton. His younger son, Harry, shares Archie and Lilibet with Meghan Markle.

While the monarch has probably spent time with George, Charlotte, and Louis, he has reportedly not seen Archie and Lilibet often due to the royal rift in between him, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. About this, royal commentator, Michael Cole noted that the king feels the distance “acutely,” and regrets their lack of closeness.

“Painfully aware that time is precious, the king regrets that he cannot be closer to his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”

These family reflections for King Charles lll come amid his battle with cancer. The monarch announced his treatment in February, yet he still returned to public duties with a visit to the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London on April 30. Since then, he has been slowly taking on more royal duties and events.