King Charles reportedly ensured Queen Camilla was present as a witness during the private reunion with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle earlier this month, a move that underscores the fractured trust within the royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with King Charles at his Highgrove estate on July 10, along with their children Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. Reports indicate that Camilla was also in the room—a woman Harry has previously called a "wicked stepmother" in his memoir Spare.
Witness for a reason
Royal writer Robert Jobson concluded that Camilla was there "for a reason: To make sure that everything was witnessed." The presence of a witness has been described as an "insurance policy" against potential misrepresentations of the conversation.
This practice mirrors that of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who reportedly refused to take Harry’s phone calls without another person present and allegedly banned the Sussexes from bringing a photographer to one of their last meetings with her.
History of grievances
In Spare, Harry made several claims about his father, including that Charles told Princess Diana upon Harry's birth that she had given him "an heir and a spare," and that Charles woke him to break the news of Diana's death but did not hug him, noting his father was "not great at showing emotions under normal circumstances." Harry also suggested his father prioritized media coverage over their wellbeing and said Charles gave off an air of "not being quite ready for parenthood... But single parenthood? Pa was never made for that."
These public criticisms, made in a best-selling book and promotional interviews, have deepened the rift. Harry has monetized his grievances while casting his father as a villain, leading to significant trust issues within the family.
Double standard
Observers note that while Harry has made private conversations public for profit, King Charles has not written a book about his son, Prince William has not written about his younger brother, and Catherine has not done tell-all interviews about Meghan. The Sussexes are now seen as a "leaky, unnavigable ship" that they set sail on themselves.
