King Charles III had compassion for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s situation up until it affected him personally.
In his upcoming book, Endgame, royal journalist Omid Scobie writes that Charles, 75, was sympathetic with Harry, 39, and Meghan 42, until their Netflix docuseries “hubbub” overshadowed the charitable work he was doing.
Harry & Meghan premiered on Netflix in December 2022. When the first three episodes rolled out at the beginning of the month, Charles initially requested a “wall of silence,” according to the book. Per Scobie, Charles didn’t want to hear others speak ill of Harry in front of him as the monarch was genuinely sad and angry over his son’s ups and downs with the royal family.
However, Charles’ perspective on the drama shifted once Harry and Meghan’s show was all anyone could talk about. At the time, Charles donated a substantial amount to the nonprofit, The Felix Project, which focuses on directing surplus from farms and markets to local food banks per the source. The King’s good deed received little coverage from the press as all they wanted to discuss was Harry and Meghan.
Throughout the six-episode special, Harry and Meghan shared details of their whirlwind romance and their decision to step down as senior working members of the royal family in January 2020. Since their exit, Harry has been candid about his issues with his father and brother Prince William.
“I’ve had to make peace with the fact that we’re probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology,” Harry said during part 2 of the series. “My wife and I, we’re moving on. We’re focused on what’s coming next.”
Following the docuseries, Harry also opened up about his childhood and struggles in his tell-all Spare. In his memoir, Harry recounted the fear he felt after he and Meghan lost security provided by the crown after their exit and eventual move to the United States. As they settled into their new lives in the United States, they funded their own security team. Before moving across the pond, Harry and Meghan lived at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor and would use the home when they would return to the U.K. with their children Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2.
However, Charles asked the twosome to vacate the property in March since they did not spend the majority of their time in the U.K.
“We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” a spokesperson for the couple’s Archewell foundation told Us Weekly at the time.
The source tells Us that Scobie writes that Harry called Charles about the decision and asked if he wanted to see his grandchildren. Per the book, Charles didn’t answer the question but reassured his son that he and his family would always have “somewhere” to stay when they did visit — which left Harry feeling unhopeful.
As time passes, Harry continues to be at odds with his father. While he was present for his historical coronation ceremony in May, Harry left the function early to return to his family. As Charles’ celebrated his 75th birthday earlier this month, Harry was not in attendance for any of the king’s festivities. However an additional insider told Us that he and Meghan called Charles on his big day and sent him a special message from his grandkids.
“Charles received a video of their kids singing him happy birthday and it made his day,” the source explained while noting the call from Harry and Meghan was a “big step toward healing their relationship.”
