King Charles spent months briefing the British press about how Prince Harry absolutely needed to come to the coronation. Meghan was an afterthought with the invitation, and Charles made a point of not inviting Prince Archie and Princess Lili to the coronation or to the UK. Harry ended up coming back for 28 hours, then he flew back to California to be with his son on Archie’s birthday. Charles did not extend any invitations to the Sussexes for Trooping the Colour, nor did Charles make any attempt to meet with Harry while Harry was back in London to testify against Charles’s friends at the Mirror. At this point, there’s nothing Charles can hold over Harry’s head, and there are no big “events” for which Harry simply “must return.” This will be the holding pattern for the foreseeable future – Harry and his father barely communicating, and likely never seeing each other. The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes has royal sources insisting that this stalemate is all about Camilla, and all about Spare.
Relations between King Charles and his estranged son Prince Harry have descended to fresh lows owing to Harry’s attacks on Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, and friends of the royals now suspect the two will never be reconciled. While many inside the royal circle of trust have long discounted the possibility of Prince William and Harry ever setting aside their differences, there is now similar pessimism in some quarters about the relationship between Harry and his father, the king, who has been left dismayed by Harry’s brutal criticism of Camilla in his memoir, Spare.
Friends say that Charles was particularly hurt by the assault his son mounted on the character of Camilla in his book. He characterized her as single-mindedly determined to become queen, accused her of “sacrificing” him on “her personal PR altar” and told one interviewer she was “dangerous” and was prepared to leave “bodies in the street” in her quest to be queen.
A longstanding friend of the queen told The Daily Beast: “How does she get past that? It’s one thing to call your stepmother a bitch privately or in a family argument. But to put it in a book which is catching up with the Bible on sales? I think Harry knew exactly what he was doing, and the result is predictable. Charles loves Camilla. He made her queen. He doesn’t react very well to criticism of her.”
Asked if they were saying that the attacks on Camilla, specifically, had generated a harder attitude towards his son from Charles, the friend of Camilla said: “It is a huge part of it. Charles has made it very clear that he loves both his sons so the door will never be bolted shut. But they are a very obstinate family and nobody is about to be the first to apologize. Charles certainly doesn’t believe he has anything to apologize for.”
The other problem, beyond the memoir itself, seems to be an obstinate refusal on both sides to make the first move in apologizing, or, indeed, accepting there is anything to apologize for. One friend of the king and queen told The Daily Beast: “There is no plan for Harry and Charles to meet. There might have been a chance of reconciliation had it not been for the book. But Charles was dismayed and deeply hurt by what Harry said about him and about Camilla in his book.
“Personal feelings aside, Charles has to prioritize the job of being king. He can’t start having meetings with Harry now, it would be a distraction and very destabilizing.”
Sykes also cites Roya Nikkhah’s recent report in the Times, where sources “close to Charles” claim that the king “is becoming increasingly exasperated” over Harry and “The King brings Harry up every time I see him. I don’t think we’ve moved past sad and bewildered, but there’s a bit more frustration at his behaviour, because it just keeps going.” That comment was more about Harry’s testimony in court as opposed to Harry’s memoir. Which makes me wonder if Charles is actually all that bothered, at this point, about Spare or Harry’s comments about Camilla. It seems more like Charles is frustrated because of everything I said in the intro: he has no way of controlling Harry, nothing to hold over Harry’s head, no big event to which an invitation must be withheld. Now, I also think Charles is irritated by what Harry said about Camilla, because Harry’s version has been widely accepted, and Harry’s comments are still being repeated endlessly by the Rota. Anyway, Charles is a dogsh-t father, news at seven.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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Prince Harry, King Charles III, Camilla Queen Consort, and Princess Anne
The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, Gun Carriage Procession, Wellington Roundabout, London, UK – 19 Sep 2022,Image: 724224245, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock / Avalon
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- (left to right) The Duke of Sussex, King Charles III and the Princess Royal follow the State Hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s Orb and Sceptre, as it arrives at the Committal Service held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, Berkshire.,Image: 724270306, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty O’Connor / Avalon
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- Prince Harry at the Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, London, on 06 May 2023.,Image: 774213925, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex at The Coronation of King Charles III at London”s Westminster Abbey 06 May 2023,Image: 774251947, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon
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Covent Garden, London, UK. 17th May 2023.
Her Majesty Queen Camilla enjoys a chocolate from a stall holder as she and The King visit a stall set up by local chef and entrepreneur Amrit S Maan OBE, who runs the nearby
Punjab restaurant, as they visit Covent Garden in Their Majesties’ first joint engagement since the Coronation.,Image: 776514789, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Supplied by AVALON – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon – [email protected] London: 44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: 1 (310) 822 0419 Madrid: 34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photo by Amanda Rose / Avalon
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- Britain’s Queen Camilla visits Chelsea Flower Show in London, Britain, May 22, 2023,Image: 778307505, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: TOBY MELVILLE / Avalon
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The British Royal family make an appearence on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Coronation
Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 06 May 2023
Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images**NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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King Charles III and Queen Camilla take a seat on a bench designed by pupils from Belfast’s Blythefield Primary School who have taken part in Historic Royal Palaces’ competition to design Coronation benches at Hillsborough Castle, Co Down during a two day visit to Northern Ireland.
Featuring: King Charles III and Queen Camilla
Where: Co Down, United Kingdom
When: 24 May 2023
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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Queen Camilla meets Khadijah Mellah winner of the 2019 Magnolia Cup during a visit to The British Racing School in Newmarket, Suffolk, to mark their 40th anniversary. Over the past four decades it has trained thousands of people and equipped them with the skills to excel in Britain’s second biggest spectator sport, horse racing.
Featuring: Queen Camilla
Where: Newmarket, United Kingdom
When: 01 Jun 2023
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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Reception with authors, actors and lovers of literature attending the inaugural Queen’s Reading Room Literary Festival at Hampton Court Palace.
Featuring: King Charles III
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 11 Jun 2023
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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King Charles III travelled behind the Flying Scotsman in the Royal Carriages along the North Yorkshire Moors Railways heritage line and met the railways Chief Executive Officer, Chris Price, and longstanding volunteers to mark the 50th Anniversary of the official opening of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (1973-2023).
During His Majesty’s visit to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, the Royal Train journeyed from Grosmont to Pickering, where The King unveiled a plaque to memorialise the occasion. He also took the opportunity to view the Flying Scotsman, which turned 100 on 24th February 2023, and had been specially prepared for the occasion: its roof painted white and new lamps fitted to the cab, in line with the tradition of hauling the Royal Train.
Welcoming His Majesty to NYMR was Chief Executive, Chris Price, who said, “It’s an honour to be able to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the NYMR with a special visit from King Charles III. For all these years we have preserved our heritage railway and to celebrate this with royalty is such a privilege. It gives us the enthusiasm and joy to continue for generations to come.”
Built in 1923 at Doncaster Works, Flying Scotsman started life as just another of Sir Nigel Gresley’s A1 class of locomotives. It is now considered the most famous locomotive in the world, holding the world record for a non-stop run in a steam locomotive, set in 1989 with a 422-mile trip. The celebrity engine retired from service in 1963, and is now a star attraction in the collection of the National Railway Museum (part of the Science Museum Group) in York, where it is a working museum exhibit. Its visit to Pickering is the latest in its centenary programme, which sees the locomotive on the tracks, hauling main line tours and visiting heritage railways across the country.
A registered charity, the NYMR requires between 300-500 hours of volunteer support every day to bring its story to life. Among the team are a few long standing volunteers who have been at the NYMR since the first day in 1973 when the Duchess of Kent officially opened the railway. Fifty years on, and John Bruce, Chris Cubitt, John Hunt and Terry Newman are still firing on all cylinders as the NYMR steams into the future.
Featuring: King Charles III
Where: Pickering, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
When: 12 Jun 2023
Credit: Simon Jacobs/NYMR/Cover Images**EDITORIAL USE ONLY**
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Reception at Buckingham Palace in London to celebrate the Windrush Generation, and mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush.
Featuring: King Charles III
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 14 Jun 2023
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
