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United News of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- United News of India
Queen Camilla stays neutral amid ongoing rift between King Charles and Prince Harry
London, June 7 (UNI) Amid continuing tensions between King Charles and Prince Harry, Queen Camilla has chosen to remain neutral, staying away from the discord that has fractured the British royal family. The Queen "stays out of it", a source told PEOPLE in this week's exclusive cover story. The family's fractures came to light when the Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, and today, the deep divide between the King and Harry remains one of the most painful fissures in his reign. Since then, the chasm has widened through a cascade of media exposés, a Netflix docuseries and Harry's incendiary memoir, 'Spare', in which he notably characterised Camilla as a manipulative figure intent on restoring her public image, allegedly at the expense of his own. "I had complex feelings about gaining a stepparent, who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar," Prince Harry said in his memoir. In an interview with Good Morning America in 2023, he further explained: "She had a reputation or an image to rehabilitate, and whatever conversations happened, whatever deals or trading was made right at the beginning, she was led to believe that that would be the best way to doing it." Still, Harry struck a tone of reluctant civility, noting: "We haven't spoken for a long time. I love every member of my family, despite the differences. So when I see her, we're perfectly pleasant with each other. She's my stepmother. I don't look at her as an evil stepmother. I see someone who married into this institution, and done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake", reports PEOPLE. King Charles is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, adding pressure to reconcile with Harry before it's too late. Although both were recently in North America, they didn't meet. In 'Spare', Harry opened up about his conflicted feelings surrounding his father's marriage to Camilla and alleged that she traded information with the press to salvage her public image. There has been a desire to reconnect at times, but "the underlying issue is trust", according to royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith. "The King and William don't trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation," Bedell Smith says. Insiders add that King Charles isn't encouraged by his inner circle. The Prince of Wales has shown no interest in extending an olive branch, and senior aides like Clive Alderton, who was targeted in 'Spare', are unlikely to encourage outreach. "There is not a good angel in his ear to say, 'Be a good dad and make the first move,' " says Valentine Low, author of the upcoming book 'Power and the Palace'. UNI NST RN
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Prince Harry Didn't Mean to ‘Attack' Royal Family With Bombshell BBC Interview, Biographer Says
Prince Harry apparently didn't mean any harm with his bombshell BBC interview — at least, according to a royal expert. 'It wasn't meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one,' royal biographer Valentine Low told People in an interview published on Tuesday, June 3, regarding last month's interview. Harry, 40, offered a public plea to his father, King Charles III, asking for a reconciliation with his family during the May 2 interview. The Duke of Sussex claimed that his father 'won't speak to me' during the chat. (The interview came after Harry lost the appeal in his battle for government-funded security in the U.K.) 'I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point in continuing to fight anymore,' Harry also said at the time. 'Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has.' Royal Family Reportedly Had 'Brief' Heads-Up About Prince Harry's Bombshell Interview Low told People that Harry's comments weren't a positive step toward the possibility of a future reconciliation with his father or brother, Prince William. 'It makes Charles reaching out even harder,' the Power and the Palace author added, noting that 'there is not a good angel' telling Charles to 'be a good dad and make the first move.' A separate royal expert shared a similar sentiment, telling Us Weekly exclusively last month that Charles, 76, is unlikely to reach out to Harry. 'The King is only hewing to a long-standing royal practice of not dignifying something by commenting on it. The Palace does not want to give oxygen to Harry's remarks,' royal expert Christopher Andersen said. 'King Charles has a lot on his plate as it is — there is no upside to his getting into a public quarrel with his son.' Prince William Is 'Done With Harry,' Will Not Publicly Respond to Brother's Comments, Source Says Fellow royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams also told Us that Harry's comments regarding Charles' health 'are unlikely to have gone down well' within the family. (Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024.) 'If Harry really wants to reconcile with his family, he has an odd way of showing it,' Andersen also told Us. 'He slams his father for interfering in the trial, then says the Palace rigged the outcome, then accuses the Royal Family of not caring about the safety of his wife and children, and winds up declaring that for now he can't foresee any scenario in which he would take his family to the U.K.,' Andersen continued. 'Harry delivered the coup de grace when he said he wanted to bury the hatchet with his father because he doesn't know how much time the King has left to live.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prince Harry and King Charles' Royal Rift That Won't Heal: 'The Underlying Issue Is Trust' (Exclusive)
King Charles faces increasing pressure to repair his fractured relationship with Prince Harry Despite Harry's public call for reconciliation, the monarch has yet to make a personal move toward reconciliation Trust remains the biggest barrier to a reunion; insiders say neither King Charles nor Prince William are ready to bridge the divideAs King Charles sat on a throne carved from Windsor trees at Canada's Parliament on May 27, delivering a message of unity amid rising U.S.-Canada tensions, his estranged son Prince Harry was thousands of miles away in Shanghai. Though briefly on the same continent, father and son remain emotionally worlds apart. 'The True North is indeed strong and free,' Charles, 76, declared — earning praise for his statesmanship, even as he continues weekly cancer treatments. 'He could give a master class in diplomatic relations,' Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth, tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. But another challenge looms — one no speech can fix: his fractured relationship with his son, who told the BBC in May: 'I don't know how much longer my father has… He won't speak to me.' The man Charles called his 'darling boy' was meant to be 'one of his reliable lieutenants he could call on to support the monarchy,' says royal historian Dr. Ed Owens, author of After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself? That vision unraveled in 2020 when Harry and Meghan Markle, 43, stepped back from royal duties and moved to Montecito, California. The rift deepened with bombshell interviews, their Netflix docuseries and Harry's best-selling memoir Spare, which alleged a physical altercation with Prince William, 42. While William remains firmly estranged from Harry and Meghan, some royal observers believe it's King Charles — head of the Church of England and a longtime advocate for unity — who should take the first step. But inside palace walls, hesitation reigns. At times, there has been a desire to reconnect — but 'the underlying issue is trust,' says royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith. 'The King and William don't trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation.' Charles, insiders say, isn't surrounded by voices encouraging reconciliation. William has shown no interest in extending an olive branch, and Queen Camilla, 77 — sharply criticized in Spare — 'stays out of it,' says a source. Even senior aides like Clive Alderton, also mentioned in Harry's memoir, are unlikely to push for a personal outreach. 'There is not a good angel in his ear to say, 'Be a good dad and make the first move,'' says Valentine Low, author of the upcoming book Power and the Palace. Despite Harry's call for peace, his BBC comments were widely seen as another blow. 'It wasn't meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one,' Low says. 'It makes Charles reaching out even harder.' And with the King still being treated for an undisclosed type of cancer, the stakes are growing. 'If you have that level of breach in a family, and you are estranged, you run that risk every day of having something unfathomable to deal with,' says Catherine Mayer, author of Charles: The Heart of a King. Even before recent events, Charles and Harry's dynamic was complex. Harry, the son of a broken marriage, lost his mother, Princess Diana, in tragic and public circumstances. Amid the rift with his father, Harry spoke with his uncle Charles Spencer about changing his family's last name to his mother's surname, Spencer, but was told the legal hurdles would be too great. 'There is so much baggage there that the idea that one meeting would resolve everything is ridiculous,' Mayer tells PEOPLE. 'But having some contact would seem better than none.' At the heart of the dispute is security. Harry says losing his official protection endangers his family, making him unwilling to bring Meghan and their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, who turns 4 on June 4, to the U.K. He believes Charles can reverse the decision, but the palace says the courts have 'examined [it] repeatedly and meticulously.' Low warns that the split could 'potentially damage [Charles'] legacy.' Still, he believes most people can separate the private drama from his public role: 'This is a family rift rather than a constitutional rift — it's what happens to families. Both sides have to reach a point where they realize they can't carry on as they are.' For now, father and son remain focused on their separate paths across the Atlantic. Harry, backed by a new communications team, is exploring new commercial ventures alongside his philanthropic work. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Charles, meanwhile, continues to show stamina. A senior aide noted after the Canada trip that the King is managing his illness amid 'incredible advances' in medicine and is determined to live life 'as normal as possible.' For Harry, that resolve may offer a glimmer of hope. 'I would like to think the King will take that step toward reconciliation with Harry in due course," Owens says. Read the original article on People
