Prince Harry went to extraordinary measures to try and patch things up with his father, King Charles III, after the fallout from his bombshell Oprah interview — but could the new King stop Harry's children inheriting their royal titles?
A sneak peak at The New Royals by Vanity Fair's royal editor Katie Nicholl sets out the unprecedented lengths gone to by the Duke of Sussex in order to rebuild bridges. Harry reportedly suggested they use of a third-party negotiator — an offer that was apparently laughed out of court.
The story goes that Harry and Meghan had stopped off at Buckingham Palace on their way to the 2020 Invictus Games in Holland, arranging an audience with the Queen.
'Charles insisted on meeting Harry and Meghan before their audience with the queen,' writes Nicholl. 'According to one insider, he wanted to make sure Harry wouldn’t be able to sweet-talk her the way Andrew had and get her to agree to anything without Charles’s say-so.'
Harry 'went in with hugs and the best of intentions and said he wanted to clear the air,' according to a family friend. 'He actually suggested that they use a mediator to try and sort things out, which had Charles somewhat bemused and Camilla spluttering into her tea. She told Harry it was ridiculous and that they were a family and would sort it out between themselves.'
To make matters worse, the Sussexes had apparently been so late that Charles had just 15 minutes with his son and daughter-in-law before he had to leave for the Royal Maundy Service at Windsor Castle, where he was standing in for the queen for the very first time. Add to that the ignominy of Prince William reportedly refusing to move a family skiing holiday to come and join the attempted reset with his younger brother and once-trusted wingman. 'To this day, William still cannot forgive his brother.'
Nicholl reveals that those close to the new king 'say he won’t stop trying to heal the rift with his son', hence his touching tribute to them in his first speech as monarch. But there are still huge stumbling blocks.
According to the book, Charles's love for Harry is 'unconditional', in the words of a friend, who adds that Charles also wants to have a role as a grandparent to Archie and Lilibet . But it's reported that there is also some awkwardness around titles. Now that Charles is king, Harry and Meghan’s children automatically become Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex; however, the royal family’s website still has them listed as Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor. It's well documented that Charles is in favour of a 'less expensive' slimmed-down working monarchy, and we know that he is looking to limit them to top-tier royals.
Would Charles go as far as barring Archie and Lilibet from becoming a prince and a princess now that the Sussexes are no longer working royals, asks Nicholl. According to a source close to the king, 'it depends a lot on what happens in the coming months, particularly with Harry’s book and their TV show.' It's the rift that keeps on giving. Watch this space.