King Charles purportedly expressed his genuine emotions about his sons' discord with a brief yet poignant statement. Following Prince Philip's funeral, Prince William and Prince Harry reportedly engaged in a passionate confrontation, during which King Charles allegedly begged the brothers to cease their dispute.
The emotional remark was disclosed in Prince Harry's acclaimed memoir "Spare," in which he recounts the challenging encounter with his father and brother following his grandfather's funeral, The Mirror reported.
This occurred weeks after he and Meghan participated in a sensational interview with Oprah Winfrey, which garnered millions of viewers globally and severely damaged their relationship with several other royals. Prince Philip's funeral occurred under the social distance regulations enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with barely 30 attendees present to honor the former Duke of Edinburgh.
Consequently, Prince Harry participated in the tragic ceremony alone, while Meghan, who was pregnant, remained in California with their baby Archie.
In his memoir, Prince Harry recalled a tense encounter involving his elder brother, Prince William, which prompted their father, King Charles, to intervene, exclaiming "Enough" and imploring his boys to cease hostilities.
"Please, boys ― Don't make my final years a misery." The Duke of Sussex added that King Charles's voice "sounded raspy, fragile. It sounded if I'm being honest, old."
The strained relations that Prince Harry has experienced with his brother and father appear to remain unresolved from the emotionally significant period following Prince Philip's death in 2021. Although Prince Harry attended the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations the subsequent year and the official mourning time for the deceased monarch months later, the family has not yet achieved complete reconciliation.
Shortly after Prince Harry's biography was published, The Sun reported that he and Meghan had been "evicted" from their U.K. residence, Frogmore Cottage, which the late Queen bestowed upon them upon their marriage. King Charles is reportedly inclined to transfer the keys to his younger brother, Prince Andrew, who is resolute in his intention to remain at his current, somewhat larger residence, Royal Lodge.
During the promotion of his biography, Prince Harry claimed he had not received an invitation to his father's forthcoming coronation. Yet, he ultimately attended the significant event, although he was not formally involved in the ceremonies.
Earlier this year, upon the announcement of King Charles's cancer diagnosis, Prince Harry promptly returned to the U.K. to visit his father, resulting in a brief encounter between them. Since then, the pair has not publicly reconciled, despite Prince Harry's trip to his home nation several times.
The disclosures have incited fervent debates on social media. Many netizens expressed their opinions on the incident, exhibiting a spectrum of responses from empathy to contempt.
“Harry airing the family’s private moments doesn’t seem to help anyone. This is just sad," one X user stated. “King Charles’s plea is heartbreaking. He deserves peace in his later years," another netizen said.
“The monarchy is crumbling under the weight of unresolved tensions. Reconciliation is overdue!” a third source shared. “Harry is brave for speaking his truth. Silence would have only enabled the dysfunction," another X user commented.
“William and Harry need to sort this out privately. The public spectacle helps no one," a fifth X user furthered. “If Charles can’t unify his own family, how can he unify a nation?” a sixth netizen asked.
Business Times has reached out to King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry for comments.
