STEPHEN GLOVER: Without assurance Harry’s attacks will stop, it’s unthinkable he be invited

King Charles is reported to have asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to broker a deal to allow the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to attend his coronation at Westminster Abbey in May.

The King is a loving father, and it is understandable that he would want his youngest son to be present on such an occasion. He hopes to give the world the impression that the Royal Family is reconciled.

If only it were! The truth is that Harry has fired torpedo after torpedo at members of the royal family, most notably the Queen Consort Camilla and her brother William, who is said to be dubious about a deal to lure the Duke and Duchess of Sussex into the fold. coronation.

There is no evidence that Harry is remotely remorseful. More books, and no doubt more egotistical TV interviews and documentaries, are yet to come, and neither Harry nor his wife show any signs of giving up.

While promoting his recently published memoir Spare on television, Harry described Camilla as a “villain” and “dangerous”. He also accused her in the book, probably falsely, of leaking details of her first meeting with Prince William in 1998 to the press.

As for William, Harry has portrayed him in Spare and other outpourings as a short-tempered boxer who physically attacked him, was rude to Meghan, and is fundamentally repressed and conventional.

As I say, like any good father, King Charles does not want to be at odds with any of his offspring, no matter how annoying Harry is. The King does not like confrontation. In many ways, it does him a lot of credit that he wants Harry with him at Westminster Abbey.

However, it’s surely unimaginable that this could happen without Harry and Meghan’s assurance that their barrages will cease forever, and it seems extremely unlikely that the vengeful Sussexes would ever make such a commitment.

As for William, Harry has depicted him in Spare and other outpourings as a hot-tempered boxer who physically attacked him.

King Charles is reported to have asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to broker a deal to allow the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to attend his coronation.

The king obviously must consider the feelings of his wife and eldest son, as well as his angry youngest son. Harry’s comments about Camilla were particularly hurtful and ungentlemanly.

But for the king, this isn’t just a matter of weighing the hurt feelings of his wife and William against his natural inclination to have his youngest son present at his coronation.

Charles is not just a loving father. He is also our sovereign, aware that he must sometimes look beyond the personal feelings of his family members to consider the interests of the monarchy.

Because Harry’s attacks have not only harmed members of the royal family. There has been broader collateral damage to the institution, which, with impressive arrogance and conceit, Harry says he has a ‘responsibility’ to reform.

Harry and Meghan aren’t simply cruel and unreliable critics of individual members of the royal family. They have also become enemies of the institution of the monarchy.

In many ways, it gives Charles a lot of credit that he wants Harry with him at Westminster Abbey.

He has portrayed almost the entire Royal Family as dysfunctional because, in his ridiculous opinion, it is somehow controlled by the media and collaborated in unspecified ways in a campaign to drive Meghan off our shores.

These are ludicrous accusations that instantly fall apart when examined, but their true effect and likely intent is to undermine the monarchy in the minds of suggestible people.

In other words, Harry and Meghan aren’t simply cruel and unreliable critics of individual members of the Royal Family. They have also made enemies of the institution of the monarchy, from which, in the continued use of their royal titles and connections, they nevertheless claim to profit.

Without ironclad assurance that these attacks will cease, it is unthinkable that the couple would be invited to attend the religious ceremony reaffirming the sanctity of the monarchy before the nation.

If the Sussexes arrive without making such a promise, they could use their visit to launch further attacks on members of the Royal Family. It is likely, even if a solemn engagement were made, that they would try to promote themselves to their fans and divert attention from the Coronation.

While promoting his recently published memoir Spare on television, Harry described Camilla as a ‘villain’ and ‘dangerous’.

Like any good father, King Charles doesn’t want to disagree with any of his children, annoying as Harry is.

Harry writes some things in his memoirs that ring true. One is that his father is ‘deeply religious’. The King will know very well Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Saint Luke. He could discuss it with the Archbishop of Canterbury before Justin Welby embarks on his diplomatic mission to Harry.

The prodigal son is a younger son who asks his father for his share of his estate and then leaves home. He travels to ‘a far country’, where he spends his fortune in a ‘riotous life’ before ending up longing for the food he gives to the pigs he cares for. It is true that the parallels with Harry are not exact.

Duly repentant, the Prodigal Son returns home, determined to seek his father’s forgiveness. In the poignant words of the King James Bible: ‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and had compassion, ran, fell on his neck and kissed him.’

Charles, the loving father, wants to hug his youngest son. But unless the Wandering Prince acknowledges the error of his ways, Charles, in his role as monarch, should not forgive him.