King Charles III did not eat with Prince Harry on the night of the Queen’s death because he needed to prepare to console Britain, a new biography has claimed.
It was reported by Palace officials that the King dined instead with his eldest son Prince William to have “vital but discreet discussions.”
Robert Hardman, the author of a new biography about Charles III, said that the King needed “a clear head and no distractions” before consoling the country following the death of the Queen.
A member of the King’s staff said: “You have to remember, losing a second parent is a big thing, becoming the senior generation is a big thing and there he was, expected to console the whole country.”
The King dined with Prince William to have “vital but discreet discussions."
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That evening Harry was met in Balmoral by Princess Anne who hugged him and took him to see his grandmother to pay his respects.
According to Hardman, Harry then joined the rest of the Royal Family for dinner stating: “Harry then joined the family dinner downstairs.
“Neither his father nor his brother was there, however. The King and Queen Camilla had, by now, returned to Birkhall, their home on the Balmoral estate.”
Hardman speculated about the reason that Harry was not invited to dinner with his father stating: “In years gone by, such a moment would automatically have included his younger son, too.
The relationship between Harry and his father is 'strained.'
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“But not any more. This was clearly not an occasion for an opening up of hearts and minds with Prince Harry, particularly if he was still taking notes for his forthcoming book.
“Charles III needed a clear head and no distractions.”
In Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare’ he gives no reason for his exclusion from dinner and recalls his own version of events stating “Hunched against the cold, I hurried into the foyer.
“Aunt Anne was there to greet me. I hugged her. ‘Where’s Pa and Willy? And Camilla?’
Harry dined with the rest of the Royal Family at Balmoral.
PA
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Harry and Meghan stayed at Frogmore cottage for the Queen's funeral.
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“Gone to Birkhall, she said. She asked if I wanted to see Granny. ‘Yes…I do.”
After visiting his grandmother, he told Meghan that he “walked into the sitting room and ate dinner with most of my family, though still no Pa, Willy or Camilla.”
Prince Harry then travelled alone by plane to England from Balmoral where he was staying with his wife, Meghan at Frogmore Cottage.
The new biography, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, is to be released on January 18 2024.