Prince Harry's first tell-all interview since returning to the UK coincided with King Charles hosting the Sultan of Oman for a state visit, leading royal commentators to claim the timing shows he does not want peace.
The Sultan of Oman was welcomed by the royal family on Tuesday, a key ally for trade, defence, and peace efforts in the Middle East. However, instead of King Charles dominating the front pages, Prince Harry's interview with GQ—in which he said everybody should "let go of the past" and expressed a desire to reconcile with King Charles and Prince William—took centre stage.
Commentators claim strategic timing
Broadcaster Carole Malone and Daily Express royal editor Emily Ferguson argued on the Royals Unscripted podcast that these repeated calendar clashes demonstrate a deliberate strategy by Prince Harry.
Ms Malone said: "Charles will want to placate because he's of an age where he doesn't want to not be speaking to his son again. But I think Wills now is going to be taking the reigns on this because what's happening now is that they are going to damage the royal brand... if this happens every time the royals are going to have a big event on."
She noted the royals would have expected front pages but were upstaged by the King's youngest son, who was tucked inside the newspapers.
Previous clashes cited
Ms Ferguson agreed, pointing to Prince Harry's visit to Nottingham with his wife, Meghan Markle, which overshadowed the King's opening of the Welsh Parliament—the first time he had done so as monarch.
"It just seems to be a clear strategy," she said.
Prince Harry and Meghan made their first joint public appearance since returning to the UK on October 15, visiting projects in Nottingham and chatting to fans.
