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At a recent private dinner for friends hosted by Charles and Camilla at Clarence House, the King’s guests were taken aback by his obvious reluctance to confront his son Harry over his disloyalty.
Faced with multiple slanders, indiscretions, and provocations, Charles betrayed one of his cardinal weaknesses: a constitutional unwillingness to face personal issues head-on.
Rather than fight over an important principle, Charles revealed to his guests that he would rather shun a bitter battle.
So it came as no surprise to read yesterday’s newspaper report on proposals for a mooted peace summit, with Palace ‘sources’ quoted as saying the King could ignore Harry’s treachery and deceit over the last week and seek ‘reconciliation’ by admitting their mistakes. .
At a recent private dinner for friends hosted by Charles and Camilla at Clarence House, the king’s guests were shocked by his obvious reluctance to confront his son Harry over his disloyalty.
Faced with multiple smears, indiscretions, and provocations, Charles betrayed one of his cardinal weaknesses: a constitutional unwillingness to face personal issues head-on.
Such a suggestion must have genuinely shocked the royalists of Great Britain, an electorate that makes up the vast majority of King Charles’s subjects.
The very idea that he might succumb to pressure from his youngest son shows that Buckingham Palace officials fear they are losing control of the narrative.
The revelation that may well have made them think further was Harry’s claim that he had thrown out half of the final manuscript because of its length; the clear implication is that another 400 pages of embarrassing revelations and vitriolic accusations could be published in the near future.
No one knows better than Charles that Harry has barely scratched the surface when it comes to his tumultuous marriage to Diana, his rocky relationship with his own parents, and his adulterous relationship with Camilla. The beleaguered King knows that he has good reason to fear his son.
Charles’s resolve is also weakened by guilt. He is self-aware enough to realize that after Diana’s death, he was anything but the supportive father he should have been.
Too often, at weekends and during school holidays, Harry was left in the care of his nanny at Highgrove while his father minded his own interests or boarded elsewhere with Camilla. The chickens, Harry might say, have now come home to sleep.
One of the most moving and revealing quotes attributed to Charles in Harry’s book is the King’s plea to his sons after Prince Philip’s funeral: “Please, boys, don’t make my later years a misery.”
In that sentence, Charles exposed his vulnerability. His reign, he feared, could be ruined by Harry and Meghan.
Rather than fight over an important principle, Charles revealed to his guests that he would rather shun a bitter battle.
Prince Harry’s book, Spare, was published on January 10 and quickly became one of the best-selling nonfiction books in history.
And it seems to me that focusing on any human weakness is Meghan’s specialty. Just as she humiliated her own father and left her family and many of her friends behind, she seems to take revenge on Harry’s family for their perceived slights.
Hence Harry said last week that his family should apologize.
As someone who has climbed the very greasy pole that leads to success in the world of American television, Meghan can smell weakness from a mile away and Charles definitely reeks of it.
Finding himself between a rock and a hard place, his first instinct is to sue for peace: he wouldn’t last a minute as a studio executive.
But Charles must be aware that he could jeopardize his status and popularity with the British if he gives in to the Sussexes’ demands.
Not only would most of their subjects, outraged by Harry’s perfidy, deplore any concession to the Montecito hucksters, but William and Kate would surely be uncooperative in any humiliating apology.
Because the Cambridges have been the most affected by the attacks of the Sussexes. In all of their interviews, Meghan and Harry have revealed, perhaps unconsciously, their impressive jealousy of the heirs to the throne.
Even before their glittering marriage, Meghan seems to have been outraged by the fact that she was outranked by Kate, both in the hierarchy and when it came to privileges.
That’s why the Cambridges have good reason to suspect the authenticity of Harry’s desire for reconciliation. The fact is that William may be tempted to give up on his father. That is the obstacle to Charles’s peace efforts.
In the interest of the monarchy, William and Charles have recently reconciled. As an eyewitness to his mother’s anguish over Charles’ adultery, William has always found it difficult to fully sympathize with his stepmother.
Now, it’s hard to believe that he or Kate could see any advantage in giving in to Harry’s demands. They believe that concessions will only lead to more accusations.
William knows that the king and his advisers are walking a dangerous path. Talking about reconciliation is a mirage. Harry and Meghan will settle for nothing less than total capitulation and victory.