Prince William and Prince Harry had a special legal guardian when they lost their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. Sir John Major was appointed, upon the recommendations of Prince Charles, to oversee legal and administrative matters concerning the royal brothers and their mother's will.
Major was Queen Elizabeth's Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997 and succeeded Margaret Thatcher. After his time in office on 10 Downing Street, Prince Charles suggested to his mother that Major could look after the financial interest of his sons.
However, in the first six months of working as the legal guardian of Prince William and Prince Harry, Major reportedly raked a bill amounting to nearly half a million dollars (or £400,000), according to Daily Express. Apparently, Major employed a team of lawyers as his adviser for Prince William and Prince Harry's inheritance. The bill of retaining the lawyers' services stacked up since he did not tell Prince Charles until the final invoice.
The reports claimed that Major did not personally benefit from this astronomical expense but he hid the bill for three months from the boys' father. Sources at the palace said at that time that Major completely "cocked up" on this because he allowed the bill to "run out of control."
The bill was to be paid out of Prince William and Prince Harry's own sources of funds, which was their inheritance. Public opinion decried the amount spent for seeking the advice of lawyers and questions were raised about the kind of counsel the former Prime Minister received. Apparently, part of Major's work was to ensure that the princes' financial interests wold be protected in relation to any souvenirs and memorabilia tied to Princess Diana.
However, it doesn't look like Prince William and Prince Harry have grudges against their legal guardian. Major was actually the lone British politician, and his wife Norma, who was invited to Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle.
According to The Oprah Magazine, the royal family is also indebted to Major for his genuine concern for Prince William and Prince Harry. Queen Elizabeth knighted Major in the Companion of the Order of the Garter in 2005. It is the Queen's gift traditionally given to her former Prime Ministers.
Major is once again in the headlines days after the General Elections on Dec. 12. The former Prime Minister is backing three independent candidates - Dominic Grieve, David Gauke and Anne Milton.
