Prince William’s Reportedly Stopping King Charles From ‘Rolling out the Red Carpet’ for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly have no “red carpet” experience courtesy of King Charles III heading their way. Why? Because of Prince William’s “animosity” toward the couple. That means no summer invite to Balmoral Castle for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Meanwhile, King Charles is focused on his “absolute priority” for the British royal family.
King Charles is prioritizing ‘unity of the monarchy’ and forgoing a Sussex Balmoral invite
It seems the king won’t invite Harry, Meghan, and their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2, for fun at the royal family’s Scotland retreat. That means no father-son reunion and spending time with his California-based grandchildren for King Charles.
As a friend of the Prince of Wales told Daily Beast, the king’s main focus is keeping the monarchy together. Considering William’s strong feelings about Harry and Meghan, the king’s opting out of a potential Sussex family invite.
“William wouldn’t dream of telling his father what he can or can’t do in relation to his other son,” the insider said. “But what is true is that Charles’s absolute priority is the unity of the monarchy.”
“And given the extent of William’s animosity to Harry,” they continued, “Charles can hardly roll out the red carpet and invite Harry and the kids to stay at Balmoral for the summer holidays—however much he would like to.”
William’s reportedly preventing a ‘proper reconciliation’ between Harry and King Charles
Their comments came after journalist Petronella Wyatt, who has been friends with the king’s wife, Queen Camilla, since the age of 18, blamed William in a Daily Telegraph column for the estrangement.
She claimed a “former palace official” who used to work with Harry and William said the brothers don’t necessarily match “public perception” behind closed doors.
“There is a public misconception about William and Harry,” they told Wyatt. “It is William who was often the difficult one. And it is William who is preventing his father from having a proper reconciliation with Harry.”
“This isn’t helpful at a point in time when the country would be buoyed up by seeing them together again, as would the king.”
As for what William’s friend thought of Wyattt’s claims, they remarked that “there is a grain of truth” in them.
Harry and Meghan were previously reported to be eager to accept a Balmoral invite from King Charles
Before all this, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were said to be downright excited about a potential reunion.
“They are looking at this summer as a pivot point to restore relations with King Charles,” an entertainment executive close to close to the couple told Express in April 2024.
They went on to say Harry and Meghan “are ready, willing, and able to fly to Balmoral should the invitation come. And they genuinely hope it does.”
However, a lot has happened since then in the saga that’s Harry’s estrangement from his father and brother. He visited London, England, to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games prior to his and Meghan’s time in Nigeria.
After much speculation as to whether or not he might sit down with his father, Harry announced it wouldn’t be possible due to the king’s “full schedule.”
Perceived by many British media outlets to be a “snub,” another one quickly followed. King Charles, Buckingham Palace announced early in Harry’s visit, would be making William head of Harry’s old army regiment.
On May 13, 2024, William and King Charles were seen smiling together at the official handover ceremony.
At the time of writing, Harry hasn’t seen King Charles in person since February 2024. Meanwhile, he hasn’t been in the same room with William since their father’s May 2023 coronation.
