Camilla Parker Bowles Spit Into Her Tea Over Prince Harry’s Suggestion of How They Should Heal Rift, Royal Author Claims
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in the U.K. when Queen Elizabeth II died. The couple remained there throughout the mourning period and for the monarch’s funeral. But while there it didn’t appear the Sussexes healed their rift with the rest of the royal family. However, according to a new book, Harry did try previously during another visit to work things out with his father but his suggestion of how to do that left his stepmom (formally Camilla Parker Bowles) “spluttering into her tea.”
Here’s more on that, plus the report that the Duchess of Sussex requested a meeting with King Charles III before she and Harry left the U.K.
What Harry previously said about his relationship with his father and brother
During the Sussexes’ televised interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan and Harry did not paint members of the Firm in a good light. The pair alleged that one senior royal asked about Archie’s skin color before he was born, and Meghan countered what was reported by saying that her sister-in-law made her cry during a dress fitting.
Harry also opened up about the state of his relationship with Charles and Prince William.
“The relationship is space at the moment. And time heals all things, hopefully,” he said, adding, “I love William to bits. He’s my brother. We’ve been through hell together. We have a shared experience, but we were on different paths.”
As for things with his father, according to Harry, Charles stopped taking his calls at one point. The duke told the former talk show host: “There’s a lot to work through there. There’s a lot of hurt that’s happened, and I will continue to try and make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”
Author says Harry’s suggestion of how to heal things got quite a reaction from Camilla
Now it’s being reported that Harry did try to heal things in April 2022 when he and Meghan stopped in the U.K. before heading to the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands. But the reaction he got from Charles and his stepmother wasn’t what he was expecting.
A number of media outlets reported that Meghan and Harry visited with Charles and Camilla, now queen consort, when they were in town. Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, who has authored several books about the royal family, wrote that there were “moments of tension” during their 15-minute meeting.
In an excerpt of her upcoming book The New Royals: Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, Nicholl cited a family friend as saying Harry wanted to use a mediator in a bid to resolve their differences.
“Harry went in with hugs and the best of intentions and said he wanted to clear the air. He actually suggested that they use a mediator to try and sort things out, which had Charles somewhat bemused and Camilla spluttering into her tea,” Nicholl’s source told her, adding, “Camilla told Harry it was ridiculous and that they were a family and would sort it out between themselves.”
Meghan reportedly requested a meeting with King Charles to ‘clear the air’
Another story about the Sussexes attempting to heal their rift with other royals has been making the rounds.
Royal expert, Neil Sean, claimed that while in England following the queen’s death, Meghan requested a one-on-one meeting with King Charles to “clear the air” before she and Prince Harry left the country. “That’s right, Meghan one-to-one with King Charles III. You heard correct,” Sean exclaimed in a YouTube video (via Sky News).
Sean explained that a royal insider told him Meghan’s request to meet with her father-in-law was sent in a “formal letter.” And that the purpose of the meeting would serve as “an opportunity to clear the air.”
Sean called the former Suits star “very brave” if she didn’t in fact try to get a meeting with the king and said: “Now you have to admire Meghan’s self-belief, whatever you think.”
Neither Meghan’s spokesperson nor King Charles’ have confirmed the meeting request.
