It was the famous phrase used by the late Queen when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle criticized the royal family in their impressive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Now the words ‘memories may vary’ have returned three years later, with a friend of King Charles III using it to deny claims that he ‘refused to find space in his diary’ to see his son Harry during the estranged three-day Royal family. visit to Britain last week.
A war of words has now broken out between sources close to Charles and Harry over what actually happened, after the Duke of Sussex flew to London for three days of events related to the Invictus Games, including a service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
In the days before Harry’s visit, he was said to have been keen to see his father – with sources close to the duke insisting he had requested the meeting in advance.
But those close to the king suggested the monarch was not aware of this request or an invitation to the service, which Harry is said to have extended to senior royals.
King Charles will address guests at a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London on May 8
Prince Harry leaves St Paul’s Cathedral in London on May 8 after a service at the Invictus Games
They also claimed that Harry was offered accommodation in a royal palace, making such a meeting easier, but the duke ended up staying in a hotel for his three-day visit.
And upon Harry’s arrival, the Duke’s team announced that such a meeting would not be possible due to the King’s busy schedule, as the monarch returned to public events following his cancer diagnosis.
A spokesperson for Harry said at the time: ‘In response to many questions and ongoing speculation about whether or not the Duke will meet his father this week while in Britain, this will unfortunately not be possible due to full availability of His Majesty. program.
‘The Duke obviously understands his father’s diary with obligations and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.’
MailOnline understands that such a statement was unusual as the Sussexes’ press team has a policy of generally not commenting on the couple’s relationship with the royal family.
Harry’s service at St Paul’s eventually took place at the same time as the king hosted the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the season, just two miles away, on the afternoon of May 8, but father and son were still unable to meet.
Harry and Charles were two miles apart: one at St Paul’s and the other at Buckingham Palace
Queen Elizabeth II smiles next to Harry and Meghan on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2018
And Harry’s friends told it The Sunday times that the duke asked to see his father well in advance of the visit, adding that they ‘couldn’t imagine’ the request ‘falling through the cracks’.
They added: “Even if they had not received a request, which I do not believe, could not His Majesty have made a request to see his son? It was common knowledge that he was coming.”
Another source added: “I’m really surprised. I fully expected them to meet. I know that’s what he wanted and I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
However, friends of the king gave a different version of events – with one quoting the famous phrase ‘memories may vary’.
The source told the Sunday Times: ‘While it is true that the King is understandably wary of meeting Harry, given the publicity circus that seems to surround all such visits, he naturally agreed to see his son at his most vulnerable time. of his life to see. his illness [in February]and in the very short term.
‘While he was hardly planning to roll out the red carpet at the time this Invictus trip was announced, with doctors advising him to focus on his treatment and recovery, the idea he refused to find space in his diary. ..well, let’s just say that memories may vary again.’
Buckingham Palace’s famous statement after the Oprah interview in March 2021
The phrase “memories may vary” comes from a public statement by Queen Elizabeth II in March 2021 following claims made by the Sussexes in their interview with Oprah about racism and an alleged failure to help Meghan when she was going through a tough time.
The Duchess of Sussex, who in 2018 became the first mixed-race person to marry a senior royal in centuries, said during the interview that a royal expressed concerns to Harry about how dark Archie’s skin tone might be before he was born.
The Queen subsequently issued a statement saying the issues raised would be addressed privately as a family, adding that “some memories may differ” and that the Sussexes “will always be much loved family members.”
Two years later, a book by royal correspondent Valentine Low claimed that it was in fact Kate who urged the Queen to use the phrase ‘memories may vary’.
In his book ‘Coutiers’, Mr Low claimed that a draft statement from the palace initially did not include the famous phrase and was a ‘much milder version’, adding: ‘William and Kate were clear which side of the debate they were on stood. They wanted it to be a little louder.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their impressive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey
When a courtier first suggested the phrase “memories may vary,” at least two palace officials are said to have protested, in case it further confused Harry and Meghan.
But it was Kate “who made the argument that it should stay that way,” according to Mr. Low’s book.
The tightened design went to Buckingham Palace for approval and returned a few hours later with a ‘yes’ from the Queen, before being released.
It came as the Sussexes had plunged the royal family into one of the most challenging periods in modern royal history during the waning days of the Queen’s reign.
The Megxit saga, the rift between Harry and his brother Prince William and then the allegations in the Oprah interview left the Windsors in turmoil.
But the Sussexes have always gone out of their way to publicly praise the Queen, even naming their daughter Lilibet after her – her family nickname since childhood.
MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment and asked a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan if there is an update following last week’s statement.