Prince Harry is headed to London next week. I would actually bet that he’s flying over the weekend, but he will definitely be in London next Monday, September 8th, for the WellChild Awards. The big question – I guess – is whether Harry will meet his father. There’s no question of a meeting between brothers. Harry will not see Prince William, and William has rage-ranted for years now that the next time he’ll see or speak to his brother is at their father’s funeral. Speaking of, this all leads into The Royalist’s latest Substack piece, which is chock-a-block full of interesting information. Not about Harry, but about King Charles’s relationship with his heir, and William’s general unwillingness to do anything but go on vacation and rage-brief about his brother. Some highlights:
The roadblock: The real roadblock to a Charles/Harry reconciliation is what sources say is a very strained relationship between Charles and his son and heir, William. Put simply, the big picture is that William thinks Charles’ monarchy has not modernized as much as it should have. He thinks it still radiates pomposity and looks out of touch, thanks to Charles’ love of uniforms and ermine, and William disdains the prioritization of duty over an individual’s health and wellbeing. Charles thinks William is shirking the most basic element of the job—appearing, in person, all over the country, come rain or shine, and that his prioritization of family life over royal duty is inappropriate. But Charles is hugely afraid of making the relationship between him and William even worse than it already is.
William doesn’t think Charles should meet with Harry: William is being guided on the issue by his own grievance against Harry but also by domestic public opinion, which shows a large majority of the people do not believe Charles should grant Harry an audience, thereby effectively re-admitting him to the royal fold.
A friend of Peg: A friend of William told me this week that William believes his hand has been strengthened by the renewed disgrace of Prince Andrew, over whose fate Charles has vacillated. The friend said: “William always said, just cut Andrew off completely. It’s not appropriate to have an alleged sex offender breaking bread with the royal family. Charles was so desperate to be seen as embodying the spirit of Christian forgiveness that he let Andrew back in. Then the Lownie book happened. Now, is history going to repeat itself with a photo of Harry and the king having tea? It’s absurd to even imagine that after what Harry said, unless there is some form of direct apology from Harry. William was right about Andrew, and he is right about Harry. Charles is weak. William is anything but weak.” The friend added, “Ultimately, William is a loyal soldier. He respects his father’s rank, and he respects his father’s right to make his own decisions and he won’t make a fuss. But he thinks a Harry meeting is a terrible, terrible idea.”
Charles & William’s relationship: Another family friend of the royals described the relationship between William and the king to me this week as tense, difficult, formal and fraught, with William having a “deep-seated resentment” toward his father rooted in childhood trauma, a particularly pertinent issue today (Aug. 31), the anniversary of Diana’s death. The two men only rarely speak informally, with most of their communication mediated by their private secretaries, this source said. They do not tend to meet informally.
Charles didn’t see William & Kate in Balmoral: One former Buckingham Palace staffer who maintains good contacts with current staff told me that William and the king had spent no time at all together privately when William and Kate were in Balmoral last week. The king preferred to withdraw to the privacy of his own private home, Birkhall, eight miles from the castle on the enormous Scottish estate. The former staffer said: “Charles believes in tradition, and continuity above all. William thinks many aspects of his father’s approach are outdated, preferring a more modern interpretation of monarchy.”
William refused to go to VJ Day: I asked this source about two rumors I have heard this year. William apparently demurred at being sent to the Pope’s funeral because his soccer team, Aston Villa, was playing on the same day. The king was aghast when William’s position filtered back, and ultimately, William went. However, William was not persuaded to attend the VJ Day commemorations earlier this month, a decision that I have been told dismayed the king. The source said: “Both absolutely true. To William, continuing to run the monarchy as though it were still an Edwardian institution feels absurd. To Charles, his son’s more casual approach can feel like a lack of respect for duty and tradition.”
“William was right about Andrew, and he is right about Harry. Charles is weak. William is anything but weak.” William is jealous of Harry, William is stupid and lazy, and William reportedly has a violent temper. All of that makes William very weak indeed. This is the man who got manipulated by a family of grifters and ended up married to one of them. This is the man who thinks honoring WWII veterans is an Edwardian throwback!! This is a man who wanted to shrug off a pope’s funeral so he could attend a football match in person! Like… I think Charles is a horrible father and a very weak man as well – but at least Charles has some understanding of what “the job” entails, and part of that job is “showing empathy and care to one’s family” AND “working.” William’s idea of a modern monarchy is “doing f–k all, refusing to attend significant national events, skipping the funerals of world leaders and going on endless vacations.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
