Prince Harry has revealed a time he found his father to be "disrespectful" and shared how the King responded when challenged about it. In 2022, Harry was invited to the Balmoral estate as his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II's health deteriorated. The emergency invite was handed to Harry hours before the monarch's death.
Invitation without Meghan
At the time, Prince Harry was visiting the UK with his wife, Meghan Markle, and they were carrying out work commitments. In Harry's memoir, Spare, the prince reveals that his father was the one to inform him about his grandmother's health. Harry then referred to one element of the invite as "disrespectful" as he was asked to visit alone, without his wife.
Harry wrote: "It was Pa. Granny's health had taken a turn. She was up at Balmoral, of course. Those beautiful, melancholy late-summer days.
"He hung up — he had many other calls to make — and I immediately texted Willy to ask whether he and Kate were flying up.
"If so, when? And how? No response. Meg and I looked at flight options. The press started phoning; we couldn't delay a decision any longer.
"We told our team to confirm: We'd be missing the WellChild Awards and hurrying up to Scotland."
Harry's response to his father
"Then came another call from Pa. He said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn't want... her.
"He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn't having it. Don't ever speak about my wife that way."
King Charles reportedly then reassured Harry that "no other wives were coming [along]", including Princess Catherine.
Queen Elizabeth II's final days
The late Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 on September 8, 2022 - she was the longest reigning monarch in British history. She died just 17 months after the death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip.
Speaking of the late monarch to the Daily Mail, former royal butler Paul Burrell discussed her final days. He said: "The monarch was fading away in front of the nation's eyes. Her dresses weren't fitting properly and she was looking paler and thinner. I think we all knew it was inevitable.
"It was poignant for the Queen to die at Balmoral, her favourite home. Most of the household had no idea what had happened that day. Estate workers were going about their business as normal."
