EXCLUSIVE: It’s not just Harry — King Charles and Prince William don’t have a warm relationship either
It’s not just Harry — King Charles and Prince William don’t have a warm relationship either: ‘Thinks he knows best’It’s not just Prince Harry who has a fractious relationship with his family — King Charles and Prince William don’t have a particularly warm relationship either,
“The problem with William is that he thinks he knows best,” royal biographer Hugo Vickers told
“There have been differences of opinion and a few problems a couple of years back,” added royal writer Robert Jobson. “William has to rise above it all if he’s going to be king, and both he and Charles know they have to work together. There’s a lot of decisions that Charles will make that will affect William.”
Despite what has been called “eternal battles,” sources say the king, 77, and his heir, 44, are perfectly civil to each other as William prepares for the future.
“They meet regularly and they converse, there is no major problem,” Jobson said.
In the new biography, “William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story,” royal expert Russell Myers details how William and Charles’s relationship has evolved.
“Charles and William had been united throughout the Sussexes’ departure [from the UK and the royal family] and the scandal involving Prince Andrew and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, which has brought them ever closer together in recent years,” Myers writes.
While Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, were visiting King Charles at Highgrove House during their recent trip to the UK, Prince William and Kate Middleton (above) were at a polo tournament an hour away
William, it has been reported, helped make the decision to strip his uncle, disgraced former Prince Andrew of his titles over his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was arrested in February by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office and forced out of his Windsor home, Royal Lodge. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, a source told Myers, “While [The King] loves both his sons equally, his relationship with the Prince of Wales is something that has strengthened over the period of difficulty experienced by the family as external battles have occurred.”
“The problem with William is that he thinks he knows best,” royal biographer Hugo Vickers told
Uniting against Prince Andrew has brought William and King Charles, seen above with Queen Camilla, closer, according to a new biography. UK Press via Getty Images
As heir to the throne, William is on a “higher plane,” Jobson added.
In the wake of Harry’s trip to the UK earlier this month, when he finally brought his children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to see the king for the first time in four years, Jobson told Page Six, “William understands he and his brother have different agendas and they have a different relationship with Charles.
Harry brought Markle and their children over to the UK earlier this month. meghan/Instagram
King Charles with his heirs — Prince William and Prince George — at the Trooping the Color ceremony in June
Charles, Harry has said, was emotionally distant when he was growing up. In his 2021 Apple TV + mental health show, “The Me You Can’t See,” he told Oprah Winfrey,“My father used to say to me when I was younger … ‘Well, it was like that for me, so it’s going to be like that for you.’
“That doesn’t make sense — just because you suffered, that doesn’t mean that your kids have to suffer, in fact quite the opposite. If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences that you had, you can make it right for your kids,” he added.
And while Charles may have been willing to see Prince Harry recently — even after his son has raged about royal life in his memoir “Spare” and the Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan” — sources predict the brothers will remain estranged.
“I’m sure [William] is not in any way going to reconcile with Harry, he’s made his position pretty clear…they have different paths,” Jobson said.
As for William’s alleged view that he knows best, Vickers said, it could be the very thing that turns him into a strong monarch: “We should give him a chance. He might make a super king.”
