Prince Harry has revealed he asked for a ‘secret meeting’ with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, when he travelled to the UK to attend Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021
In his memoir, “Spare,” Prince Harry revealed that while he was in the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, he requested a “private meeting” with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, to discuss “the situation.” “
The Duke of Sussex wrote that he saw his return to London for his grandfather’s funeral as an opportunity to meet and speak to his father and brother.
It was Harry’s first visit to the UK since he and Meghan Markle quit their senior royal duties and moved to the United States, where they now live with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibeth.
It also marked the first time Harry had met his family since he and the Duchess of Sussex gave their sensational interview to Oprah Winfrey, in which they detailed the conflicts within the royal family and revealed what persuaded them to step down and move to another country.
In his book, published in January 2023, Prince Harry admitted that he had been anxious while waiting for the arrival of Princes William and Charles, and at one point thought they might change their minds and never see each other again.
But he described the moment he saw his father and brother approaching him with “stern, almost threatening” looks. The Duke recalled giving them a “faint smile” that was not returned, which made him feel “extremely intensely weak”.
He remembered his late mother, Princess Diana, and hoped she would give him strength during the encounter.
Prince Harry revealed that when he greeted his brother “Willy” and his father, whom he affectionately called “Per”, his response was a “painfully tepid” one word: “Harold”.
Harry wrote: “They came towards me, shoulder to shoulder, with stern, almost threatening looks. Moreover, they seemed to have a deep bond with each other. I felt very bad. Usually they would have argued about something, but now they seemed to be of one mind about our alliance. “Wait, are we meeting for a walk… or for a duel?” a thought crossed my mind.
“I rose from the wooden bench and took a hesitant step towards her, smiling weakly. They didn’t smile back at me. Now my heart was really starting to pound in my chest. Take a deep breath, I told myself.
Along with the fear, I experienced a kind of heightened awareness and a very strong sense of vulnerability that I have felt at other key moments in my life. I had walked behind my mother’s casket, the first time I’d gone into combat. I gave a speech through a panic attack.
“I had that same feeling of continuing on a quest you’re not sure you can do, knowing full well that there’s no turning back. Giving. My destiny was in the saddle. All right, mother, I thought, and picked up the pace. Come on, let’s go. Good luck. We met in the middle of the road. Willie? Pa? Hello. Harold. Painfully lukewarm.”
Prince Harry has disclosed in his explosive memoir that he was dubbed “Spare” by his father, Prince Charles, shortly after his birth. The Duke of Sussex recounts Charles’s words: “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare – my work is done.”
The Guardian highlighted Prince Harry‘s deep-seated resentment towards his moniker ‘Spare’, which permeates his tell-all book.
The publication observes that this bitterness forms a continuous thread throughout the narrative, touching on his upbringing, education, Royal duties, military service, familial relationships, romance with Meghan, and their journey into parenthood.
Kensington Palace was contacted for comment.