It was obvious that things were going to change within the Royal Family when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left in 2020. Then, after the infamous Oprah Winfrey interview, things took an even more dramatic turn.
Harry and Meghan made headlines around the world when they spoke out against the Firm, making comments about now-King Charles, among others. At the time it was clear tensions were high, though no one could have imagined that the royals would remain this divided for this long.
As stands, it’s not even clear whether Harry and Meghan will be welcomed at King Charles’ coronation next year. Instead, his family are said to be anxiously awaiting the contents of his new memoir, due for release later this year.
Yet though Harry’s relationships with his father and brother, Prince William, seem to be at rock bottom, it might not be too late to make amends. According to royal photographer Arthur Edwards, Charles wants his son back – but much of the responsibility will be on Harry to fix things.
Since Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family in 2020, the Prince has only been back to see his family a few times. Last year, Harry attended the funeral of Prince Philip, and just months later, he and William uncovered a new statue of their mother, Princess Diana, at Kensington Palace.
Harry & Megan’s relationship with the royal family
Meghan Markle didn’t join her husband on either occasion. Instead, she stayed home in Montecito, California, where the Sussexes bought their first house together.
Despite Harry reuniting with his family at the funeral for Prince Philip, tensions remained high. Harry is said to have met with his father and brother after the funeral, though he reportedly felt “ambushed” by William and Charles.
There have been many ups and downs for the royals within the last year. When Queen Elizabeth passed, Harry and Meghan traveled to the UK together. The day after the Queen’s death, they appeared alongside William and Kate Middleton, showing a united front.
According to reports, though, that gesture merely papered over cracks that are still very much there.
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William and Harry didn’t make any eye contact as they thanked the public for their kind words. Kate and Meghan, meanwhile, didn’t interact at all.
For the Queen’s procession – where the male royals walked behind the coffin – Meghan Markle did not ride in the same car as Kate.
According to royal correspondent Russel Myers, with the Daily Mirror, there were careful attempts to portray a united front from Harry, William, Kate, and Meghan.
One such offering was the public walk together at Windsor Castle, which some indeed took for a reconciliation of sorts.
“There is still a serious amount of distrust”
However, Myers says that there can be no rebuilding of bridges burned until Harry has put all of his cards on the table – and after his book has either been published in full, or scrapped entirely.
“The family continues to be in mourning and are now finally being allowed to grieve for the Queen away from the gaze of millions. However, any talk of a truce between the Prince (William) and the Duke (Harry) would only be temporary,” a royal insider told Myers.
“There is still a serious amount of distrust in the air and there hasn’t been any cause for that to change,” Myers said, adding that Meghan and Kate were “not known” to have exchanged words one single time during the period when Harry and Meghan were in the UK.
Interestingly, while Harry and William’s feud can be traced back to when the Sussexes left the Royal Family, Kate and Meghan’s has endured for even longer. In fact, their relationship is said to have started to crumble at Meghan’s bridesmaid fitting, when she accused Kate of making her cry.
Meghan also claimed that the press portrayed it as though it was she who had made Kate cry, no the other way around, and alleged that Buckingham Palace did nothing to back her up side of the story.
Months before the Queen’s funeral, Harry and Meghan made a quick stop in the UK where they were supposed to meet then-Prince Charles and Camilla. Sadly, things didn’t turn out as expected.
Harry & Meghan met with Charles & Camilla
According to royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, Harry and Meghan didn’t start on the right foot by arriving late.
“The meeting with Charles and Camilla was more awkward than their cordial tea with the Queen,” Nichol wrote in an extract of her book, published in Vanity Fair.
“The Sussexes were late, and 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.”
“While father and son are said to have greeted each other warmly, there were moments of tension,” she added.
On that note, Harry and Camilla’s relationship has also notoriously frosty of late, and it was hardly helped by the aformentioned meeting.
“Harry went in with hugs and the best of intentions and said he wanted to clear the air,” a family friend told Nichol.
“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.”
Of course, though Harry and Charles aren’t on the best terms, there remains hope. Family will always be family, and at the moment there does seem to be a way back for Harry if he wants to pursue it.
Royal photographer says King Charles “wants his son back”
On that subject, photographer Arthur Edwards – who’s worked closely with the Royal Family on many tours – said that despite the rift, he “knows” that the King wants to make amends.
“I think the King wants his son back, I do know that and, you know, I worked with Harry a lot and he was a fantastic person to work with,” Edwards said in an appearance on TalkTV.
“He was a great character, he was larger than life, he was fun to be with, and at the end of a tour, we’d all go to the pub and he would pay the bill and we’d have a great laugh.”
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Moreover, Edwards revealed details about his time working with Harry, saying he was a “great character” who was “fun to be with.” At the end of one tour, they even had a drink together.
Since Harry left his old life behind, however, the photographer has mixed feelings about him.
“He was just a fantastic person, and I don’t recognize that person anymore which I feel is very sad but, I feel sort of in many ways sorry for him and Meghan,” Edwards said.
“You know, in that big place in California with their 16 bathrooms I mean, and their chickens, I just wonder you know, here he was somebody, they were both somebody here.”
“They were important here and there they’re just another celebrity in a town full of celebrities and I feel you know, this Netflix and Spotify, I think that is all a bit messy,” he added.
Harry & Meghan – King Charles’ coronation
Last week, details of King Charles’ coronation – set to take place next year – were revealed. There was one particular detail that people couldn’t help but take notice of.
May 6 is a very special date for both Harry and Meghan – their son, Archie, celebrates his birthday on that specific date.
How the couple reacted to the fact that Charles’s coronation will be on the same date has not yet been revealed. Neither has it been confirmed whether Harry and Meghan will even be invited to the historic event.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, Harry and Meghan will be asked to attend the coronation. She told Entertainment Tonight that King Charles and Camilla would want them in attendance.
“Behind the scenes, Camilla has done really everything she can to try and bring this family back together, and press the importance of trying to move on from this rift, and I think she would be very pleased, as would the king for Harry and Meghan to be at the coronation,” she said.
“It remains to be seen whether or not they attend. But of course, it will be down to the Sussexes to make the ultimate decision as to whether they’re going to come over for King Charles’ coronation on May 6.”
However, things can change before the coronation takes place, especially with Harry set to publish a new memoir.
Harry’s new tell-all memoir
Reports state there are fears within the Royal Family that he will shed light on a series of shocking revelations about the Firm.
This, according to a source near Camilla, could be crucial in whether Harry and Meghan will get invited to Charles’ coronation or not.
The upcoming memoir has been a talking point for a long time. There have been several reports that the book – published by Penguin Random House – will create new tensions between Meghan and Harry and the rest of the Royal Family.
Some say it will include sections focusing on the rift between Harry and William and the troubled relationship between Harry and his father, Charles. Not only that, but Harry could go into detail regarding his relationship with Camilla.
Harry’s tell-all book has been said to be an “accurate and wholly truthful” account of his life.
“Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him,” the press release read, teasing the book as an “honest and captivating personal portrait.”
Despite all that’s been going on in the last year, it seems like Harry is now finished writing the book. However, a source claims he’s currently working on an extra chapter that might address the Queen’s funeral.
King Charles “will choose” Camilla over Harry
But painting a negative picture of his family could see he and Meghan get banned from attending the coronation, according to a friend of Camilla’s.
By all accounts, Charles has a profoundly loving relationship with Camilla, and his protective feelings toward her are strong.
“Almost everything Charles has done over the past 20 years has, in one way or another, been about getting Camilla accepted by the public,” the source, who is anonymous, told The Daily Beast.
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“He loves her. He is incredibly protective of her and he couldn’t do it without her. Even the Queen finally accepted that.”
Moreover, the source said that Charles wouldn’t hesitate to cut ties with his youngest son if he had to choose between Harry and Camilla.
“It is one thing for Harry to attack Charles, he can take it on the chin, but if Harry forces him to choose, by laying into Camilla in his book, I have no doubt he will choose Camilla.”
Time will tell if the relationship between Harry, Meghan, and the rest of the Royal Family will improve.
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