As the world celebrated Father's Day on June 18, King Charles III reminisced about his own fatherhood journey. Through the royal family's Instagram, the King shared some heartwarming throwback photos of his children, Prince William and Prince Harry, stirring nostalgia among royal fans.
Accompanying the collection of photos, the caption read, "To Dads everywhere, we wish you a special Father's Day today." One memorable picture taken during a family vacation at Balmoral revealed the young princes with their father. It presented a picture of simpler times, before the princes were beset with the pressures of adulthood and royal duties.
The picture, reportedly taken on August 16, 1997, showcases King Charles III clad in a classic Scottish attire, with a vibrant green sweater paired with a checkered green kilt. A youthful Prince William and Prince Harry are seen dressed casually in khaki pants and buttoned-down shirts, their attention captured by something outside the frame, indicated by Prince Harry.
This snapshot holds a bittersweet significance, as reported by Page Six. The family's holiday at Scotland's Balmoral Castle was a fortnight before the princes were scheduled to meet their mother, Princess Diana, on August 31. Tragically, she perished that day in a car crash in Paris, pursued by paparazzi, with her companion Dodi Fayed.
The Father's Day homage also included Queen Camilla's old picture with her father, Bruce Shand, and a shot of King Charles III with his late father, Prince Philip. Meanwhile, Prince William celebrated the day by sharing a photo surrounded by his three children, Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte.
This nostalgic gesture of sharing a familial picture occurs against the backdrop of an apparent rift between King Charles III and his younger son, Prince Harry. In his memoir "Spare," released in January, Prince Harry claimed a breakdown in communication with his father and Prince William.
The memoir was critical of King Charles III's parenting, with Prince Harry labeling him "cruel" and characterizing his brother as an "enemy." Prince Harry also described instances of his father's emotional distance, particularly during the aftermath of Princess Diana's tragic passing.
Furthermore, Prince Harry, in "Spare," recounted his father's alleged "sadistic" jokes hinting at rumors that James Hewitt is Harry's biological father. Following the publication, both King Charles III and Prince William have maintained a stoic silence, adhering to the royal principle of "never complain, never explain," while carrying on with their royal responsibilities.
Relations seem to have further soured after the book's release, as King Charles III reportedly evicted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from Frogmore Cottage, their London home within the Windsor Castle grounds. There were no public birthday wishes for Prince Harry's children, and the couple was absent from King Charles III's inaugural Trooping the Colour parade as the new monarch on June 17. It remains to be seen if this poignant Father's Day post hints at a hopeful reconciliation in the royal family.
