There is no question that the royal family has had its ups and downs in recent years, primarily due to Harry and Meghan’s exit from royal life and the bombshell accusations that came with it. Even though Harry attended his father’s coronation, the future of the Sussexes’ relationship with their fellow royals is seriously in doubt.
Harry and Meghan lashed out at other royals in interviews, their Netflix series, and, of course, through the Duke’s book, which was released earlier this year. While that was one thing, the couple additionally decided to give their children royal titles in March.
King Charles was said to have been furious with his son when the accusations against him – and especially his wife, Queen Camilla – were laid out by Harry. But according to a royal expert, Charles has only himself to blame – and he apparently made one “terrible mistake” that changed everything.
The feud between the royals and Harry and Meghan reached its peak when Harry released his book, Spare, earlier this year. The Duke lashed out at almost every one of his senior royal family members, referring to his stepmother Camilla as a “wicked stepmother” and even giving a detailed insight into one of the biggest fights of his life.
Harry claimed William physically attacked him
It happened in 2019 at his London home, where Harry wrote that he and William had a physical confrontation. The Duke claimed William had called his wife, Meghan, “abrasive,” “rude,” and “difficult,” something Harry called “parrot the press narrative.”
It escalated, and Harry described how William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor.”
“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out,” Harry wrote.
The Duke then described how William urged him to hit back, describing their fights as children. When Harry refused, the future king left, before returning later “looking regretful, and apologized.” Harry said he sustained visible injuries on his back.
The royal family has not commented on the shocking claim – along with everything else Harry and Meghan have said. It’s safe to say it will most likely stay that way.
At the time, King Charles wasn’t there. But a few years later, following Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021, Harry, William, and Charles had a meeting at Frogmore Cottage that didn’t end well.
In Spare, Harry wrote that his family members had “come for a fight” as they tried to reconcile with him. The least they wanted, the Duke said, was to understand why they had left the royal family in the first place.
“I tried to explain my side of things. I wasn’t at my best. For starters. I was still nervous, fighting to keep my emotions in check, while also striving to be succinct and precise,” Harry wrote. “More, I’d vowed not to let this encounter devolve into another argument. But I quickly discovered that it wasn’t up to me.”
King Charles evicted Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage
But, as previously mentioned, it didn’t end well. Before the main subject was to be discussed – when King Charles asked about the weather and the funeral – Harry felt he was cut off whenever he wanted to speak. Eventually, the two brothers got “heated,” and their father had to step in.
Harry recalled Charles “looking up at our flushed faces,” saying, “please, boys, don’t make my final years a misery.”
One can imagine that King Charles was furious about what Harry revealed – and accused them of – in his book. Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan decided to give their children, Archie and Lilibet, the royal titles of prince and princess, saying it was their “birthright.” Even though they had left royal life, the couple still had their UK home of Frogmore Cottage to return to. But that quickly changed as King Charles decided to evict them.
The couple had renovated the royal estate for around $3 million. But when they stepped down from their royal roles, Harry and Meghan agreed to pay back the entire price tag to UK taxpayers. However, when visiting, they could still keep Frogmore Cottage as their UK base.
But King Charles made his mind up about the future of the property just one day after Harry’s book, Spare, was released. A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan confirmed that the couple had been evicted.
“We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” the spokesperson told Vanity Fair at the time.
According to royal expert and author Omid Scobie, King Charles was “spitting mad” with Harry’s book, which undoubtedly played a role in evicting the prince. The relationship between Harry and his family had, at the time, also reached “an all-time low,” Scobie wrote.
“A cruel punishment”
Meanwhile, news of them getting the boot reportedly left “at least two members of the royal family appalled.” Sources close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have claimed the couple were left “stunned” by the decision.
“Harry and Meghan have until early summer to vacate,” a source told Scobie. “Initially, they were given just weeks, but now they have at least until after the coronation.”
“It all feels very final and like a cruel punishment,” a friend of Harry and Meghan’s added. “It’s like [the family] wants to cut them out of the picture for good.”
The royal family doesn’t seem to have much love left for Harry and Meghan. The only one who has visited the couple in California is said to be Harry’s cousin, Princess Beatrice, with whom he is still great friends.
King Charles reportedly wanted to end the feud and reconcile with his son and daughter-in-law, and the father-son duo had the opportunity to meet briefly at the coronation in May. However, Harry decided to leave the UK shortly after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey ended and didn’t stay to spend time with his family for the coronation lunch.
But while Harry and King Charles’ relationship might be able to mend, Meghan reportedly has other plans. Charles has barely seen his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, but if Meghan is to decide, maybe that is for the best.
In an interview with Express, psychotherapist Eduardo Omeltech claimed that calling a truce between them and the royals would likely be left to Meghan rather than Harry.
Moreover, he argued that the rift would be why Archie and Lilibet weren’t invited to the coronation. However, it has been speculated that the children were simply too young.
“More than likely, Meghan will be the one to decide that they will offer an olive branch,” Omeltech said.
Royal expert claims King Charles have made a “huge mistake” with Harry & Meghan
“But at the moment, she doesn’t want the children to see their grandfather, as she feels he is to blame for them having to leave the Royal Family. It will probably be a decision that she makes quite quickly and spontaneously, but once she has made that decision, Harry will go along with what she wants,” he added.
When Harry and Meghan announced their departure from royal life, the late-Queen Elizabeth II showed her support by saying, “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.”
Even though they were cut off from several things they were entitled to before they left, the fact that their children could be titled prince and princess was, for example, still an option. King Charles didn’t do anything to make his son and daughter-in-law “less royal” when he took the reins last year. Though, according to royal expert and author Tom Bower, it was a huge mistake that the king didn’t act once the accusations were made against him.
Bower, author of Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors says the events that followed the Sussexes’ exit from the royal family have negatively impacted the monarchy. However, the fact that Charles hasn’t acted has made it more dramatic than it had to be – and to keep them in the loop was a bad idea.
“Harry and Meghan have undermined the monarchy and Charles has made a terrible mistake,” Bower told Express.
“He should have just cut them off”
Bower continued, “He should have cut them off straight away. He should never have allowed their children to be made a prince and princess. And he shouldn’t have invited Harry to the coronation. He should have just cut them off.”
When they left, Harry and Meghan maintained their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles. However, they stopped using the titles of His and Her Royal Highness (HRH) in early 2020, when the big decision of an exit was made.
To strip Harry and Meghan of their Duke and Duchess titles could be one way for King Charles to take action against his son and daughter-in-law, in what would be a strong disapproval of their accusations. However, that will not happen, according to royal expert and author Robert Jobson.
Speaking to the Express, Jobson, author of Our King Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed, cites a source close to the palace saying that even if Meghan Markle becomes the President of the United States, removing her title is “just not going to happen.”
“I was at Royal Ascot the other day, and I met a source, who is quite close to the Royal Family,” Jobson said. “I said, ‘Well, what about all this stuff about stripping titles?'”
“If you’re going to have a President Meghan, then surely, they’re not going to want to have their royal titles and they will be kicked out of the line succession?’ I asked. And he absolutely categorically said, that’s just not going to happen.”
Jobson continued, “It’s just going to rock everybody and create a story that will shake the Hornet’s Nest again. And as a result, it’s not going to achieve anything. It’s definitely very unlikely that Harry will ever be king, so why play a problem?”
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