King Charles has returned to at least some of his royal duties after receiving treatment for his cancer, which was revealed in January. The monarch, who was crowned a little more than a year ago, has been spending a lot of time at the royal estate of Sandringham while undergoing treatment. Still, while it can be assumed that recovery has taken up the bulk of his energy, the ongoing family feud with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may also have been on his mind.
While he hasn’t made amends with the Sussexes, now more than ever, he is reportedly working hard to try and mend the relationship. That’s not necessarily through a burning desire to make things right with Harry and Meghan, but rather to be able to grow closer to his US-based grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.
While his closest family is obviously supporting him through his recovery, one royal expert has now claimed that the monarch is a “workaholic” who knows ‘time is ticking’ on his rule. With that in mind, Queen Camilla’s latest admission on King Charles’ health suddenly becomes much more serious.
King Charles has had a tricky start to his reign by anyone’s standards. Since taking over after the late Queen Elizabeth II, the monarchy has faced many challenges, including questions about its role in modern society and private issues.
King Charles ‘heartbroken’ over non-existing relationship with Archie and Lilibet
Of course, the feud with Harry and Meghan has been the focus, after the string of accusations they made about the royals. A byproduct of the strained relations has not been that King Charles has seen very little of his son, but also that he’s been bereft of spending time with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Charles has yet to visit Archie and Lilibet in the US, and as a result it’s been some time since he had a chance to see them. He’s reportedly only met Archie five times, while Lilibet, who turned three some weeks ago, has only seen her royal grandfather once.
In the fall of last year, there were reports that Charles and Harry were planning peace talks. However, contrary sources suggested that there was “no chance” Harry would meet with his brother, William, to bury the hatchet, as the future king refuses to see his younger brother.
In any case, nothing materialized. Though Harry and his family were said to have been invited to Charles’s 75th birthday in November, they decided not to attend.
“Charles would want Harry and Meghan’s children there,” royal expert and author Angela Levin told The Sun.
“If Harry and Meghan want to make an excuse, that’s their decision. If Harry wants to go to get an apology, then he can get lost.”
While Charles’s ties to Harry and his daughter-in-law remain strained, he is reportedly “heartbroken” about his non-existent relationship with Archie and Lilibet.
Now 75, he’s not getting younger, and with the shock cancer diagnosis that was revealed in January, the monarch is now said to be grasping the seriousness of the situation surrounding seeing (or rather not) his US grandchildren.
“He knows that he won’t be around forever”
Speaking with the Mirror, royal expert Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I: The Inside Story of the King and Our Late Queen, said Charles’ cancer diagnosis has made his relationship with Archie and Liiibet “all the more poignant,” as he realizes he “won’t be around forever.”
“Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lilibet,” Seward explained.
“That is why he will never break ties with Harry. He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son’s children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won’t be around forever.”
Harry and Meghan have made many accusations about the Royal Family since departing British shores. And though members of the Firm have had strong opinions about all that’s been said, what happened a few weeks ago appears to have escalated the disagreements between the Sussexes and the monarchy.
It came as a surprise to many when Harry and Meghan embarked on what some saw as a ‘royal’ visit to Nigeria for three days to champion the Invictus Games in mid-May.
There, Harry and Meghan met with wounded soldiers and their families, and the trip was a huge success. Reportedly, though, the Nigeria visit sparked a reaction of a different kind in the UK. According to a royal insider speaking with the Mirror, King Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, were “furious” about Harry and Meghan’s trip.
Tom Quinn told the Mirror that the Prince and Princess of Wales are not just angry with Harry and Meghan Markle, but suggests that the couple fears that their nightmare has come true.
King Charles ‘discussing’ stripping Harry & Meghan of royal titles
“William is absolutely furious and determined to find a way to stop this happening in the future. Charles is said to be angrier than anyone has ever seen him,” Quinn told the Mirror, adding that William is upset that the Nigerians “treated Meghan and Harry as if they too thought this was an official tour.”
“It’s as if Harry and Meghan have gone rogue—their Nigeria trip is a bold statement that they refuse to accept they are no longer working royals. William and Charles are scratching their heads and thinking, ‘How are we going to control this nightmare situation?’”
“For Charles and William, it’s as if Meghan and Harry are saying, ‘We don’t need your permission to be working royals – we will do it on our own terms whenever and wherever we like,’” Quinn added.
King Charles and Prince William might not be able to do anything to stop Harry and Meghan from traveling in a manner reminiscent of royals, but a new claim suggests that the king has an ace up his sleeve.
According to Quinn, King Charles has been discussing stripping Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their titles.
The Sussexes used their “Duke” and “Duchess” titles – labeled on chairs – during their trip to Nigeria, while their website reads: “The Office of Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke & Duchess of Sussex.”
If Quinn is to be believed, Charles and William have had “lengthy discussions” about stripping Harry and Meghan of their official titles. Quinn did add, however, that doing so also poses a considerable risk.
“They are terrified this would backfire and make the situation worse,” Quinn told the Mirror.
“The last thing they want is to give the renegade royals something else to complain about. William and his father know that even without their royal titles, Meghan and Harry would carry on travelling the world as if they were royals and most people in the world will still welcome them.”
Queen Camilla has taken on a lot of responsibility in King Charles’ absence, appearing in his place during several royal outings. The King has now returned to some royal duties, and appeared on the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth and Normandie last week.
Given his advanced years, recent cancer diagnosis, and the general high-stress nature of his job, one would be right in thinking it might be a good idea for Charles to take things slow. However, that appears not to be the case at all.
Last week, Queen Camilla gave a new update on the king’s health, saying that he refuses to follow the advice of moving through the gears slowly.
Appearing at the second annual Queen’s Reading Room Literary Festival at Hampton Court Palace on Saturday last week, Camilla said, as per author Lee Child, that Charles is “doing fine except he won’t slow down and won’t do what he’s told.”
Child added it “sounds to me like a typical husband.”
Many might be surprised by Queen Camilla’s new health update. Royal expert Hilary Fordwich, though, told Fox News she believes it’s only natural, not least because of his history of being a prince waiting many, many years to rule.
“The last thing that the nation wants is a lazy monarch”
“Given he had the longest wait in history as heir to the throne, given his age, as well as his current health crisis, he is poignantly aware that time is ticking,” Fordwich told Fox.
“He has been preparing for this role his entire life, being in line for the throne for 70 years. After waiting for so long, he has thrown himself into the job. He wants to make his mark. So all that downtime away from his people makes him anxious and agitated.”
Fordwich concluded: “Every single one of the projects he has undertaken is designed to make a real mark. They are not just honorary where he shows up once in a while. He has devoted his life to having an impact. Hence, the downtime required by his doctors is not in the slightest welcome. His reaction is admirable. The last thing that the nation wants is a lazy monarch.”
Meanwhile, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams explained that King Charles is a “workaholic who skips lunch.”
Summer tends to mean a lot of royal duties for the Firm, and this upcoming weekend is one of the highlights of the year. Trooping the Colour has been a beloved royal tradition for hundreds of years: the Royal Museums Greenwich states that the tradition was first started by King George II in 1748.
As on King George’s November birthday it was considered to be too cold to celebrate outside with a parade, they decided to have his military parade – known as Trooping the Colour — alongside a public celebration in the summer instead.
King Charles confirmed to appear at Trooping the Colour
Therefore, unless they happen to be born on the same day, Britain’s reigning monarch celebrates two birthdays a year. Trooping the Colour typically occurs every year on the second Saturday in June.
According to the Royal Museums Greenwich, Trooping the Colour originated on the battlefield. A regiment’s flag, also known as “colours,” was ever an important rallying point for soldiers in battle. This year’s celebration is, of course, a rather unique situation, as it’s been heavily discussed whether or not King Charles would attend given his health.
It’s since been confirmed by the palace that Charles will attend despite his cancer diagnosis. The regent will ride in a horse-drawn carriage alongside Camilla for the parade, instead of on horseback as he’s done in previous years.
Naturally, many royal fans are most excited about the Royal Family’s appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where they traditionally gather to greet thousands of people outside the gates. Though things have been very quiet regarding Kate Middleton of late, some weeks ago the Daily Mail published a bombshell claim that the Princess of Wales is considering appearing on the balcony.
Time will tell whether that is the case, but public relations expert Rhea Freeman nonetheless states that it would make King Charles a very happy man if she did.
“If Kate were to appear on the balcony, it would definitely dominate the news,” Freeman told GB News. “But from everything I’ve read and seen, I would imagine that the King would be delighted to have her there.”
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