Royal Drama: King’s fractious family on stage at coronation
Royal Drama: King’s fractious family on stage at coronation
FILE - King Charles III leaves Westminster Hall, in the Palace of Westminster, where the House of Commons and the House of Lords met to express their condolences in London, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool, File)
FILE - In this Monday, March 11, 2019 file photo, Britain’s Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, foreground centre, sits with Prince William, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, front row, Prince Andrew, background right, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool, File)
FILE - Britain’s King Charles III, from bottom left, Camilla, the Queen Consort, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed into the hearse following the state funeral service in Westminster Abbey in central London Monday Sept. 19, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Charles with his wife Princess Diana in front of Lodge Canberra, Australia, Nov. 7, 1985. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, leave the Guildhall, Windsor, Saturday, April 9, 2005, following their civil wedding ceremony. The couple will later have their wedding blessed at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. In the background can be seen The Duchess’ son Tom Parker-Bowles. left, and daughter Laura Parker-Bowles, and Prince Charles’ sons Prince Harry, second right, and Prince William. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. (Peter Tarry, Pool via AP, File)
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019 file photo Meghan the Duchess of Sussex stands after she and her husband Britain’s Prince Harry placed a Cross of Remembrance as they attend the official opening of the annual Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in London. King Charles will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, and from left, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate the Duchess of Cambridge watch a flypast of Royal Air Force aircraft pass over Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, May 22, 2018 file photo, Britian’s Prince Charles, left, speaks with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, during a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 file photo, Prince William, Kate Duches of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Prince Charles, from left, walk back following the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool, File)
FILE - Australian newspapers report in Sydney, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, on an interview of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
FILE - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)
FILE - Britain’s Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, far right, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, right, Prince Harry, rear left, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex ride in a carriage to attend the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in London, Saturday, June 8, 2019. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Andrew attends the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in London, Monday Sept. 19, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Hannah Mckay/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Front row from left, Britain’s King Charles III, Camilla the Queen Consort, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Kate Princess of Wales and the Sophie, Countess of Wessex, sit, during the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in London, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - King Charles III leaves Westminster Hall, in the Palace of Westminster, where the House of Commons and the House of Lords met to express their condolences in London, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool, File)
FILE - King Charles III leaves Westminster Hall, in the Palace of Westminster, where the House of Commons and the House of Lords met to express their condolences in London, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool, File)
FILE - In this Monday, March 11, 2019 file photo, Britain’s Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, foreground centre, sits with Prince William, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, front row, Prince Andrew, background right, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool, File)
FILE - In this Monday, March 11, 2019 file photo, Britain’s Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, foreground centre, sits with Prince William, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, front row, Prince Andrew, background right, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool, File)
FILE - Britain’s King Charles III, from bottom left, Camilla, the Queen Consort, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed into the hearse following the state funeral service in Westminster Abbey in central London Monday Sept. 19, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool, File)
FILE - Britain’s King Charles III, from bottom left, Camilla, the Queen Consort, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed into the hearse following the state funeral service in Westminster Abbey in central London Monday Sept. 19, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Charles with his wife Princess Diana in front of Lodge Canberra, Australia, Nov. 7, 1985. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Charles with his wife Princess Diana in front of Lodge Canberra, Australia, Nov. 7, 1985. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, leave the Guildhall, Windsor, Saturday, April 9, 2005, following their civil wedding ceremony. The couple will later have their wedding blessed at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. In the background can be seen The Duchess’ son Tom Parker-Bowles. left, and daughter Laura Parker-Bowles, and Prince Charles’ sons Prince Harry, second right, and Prince William. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. (Peter Tarry, Pool via AP, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, leave the Guildhall, Windsor, Saturday, April 9, 2005, following their civil wedding ceremony. The couple will later have their wedding blessed at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. In the background can be seen The Duchess’ son Tom Parker-Bowles. left, and daughter Laura Parker-Bowles, and Prince Charles’ sons Prince Harry, second right, and Prince William. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. (Peter Tarry, Pool via AP, File)
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019 file photo Meghan the Duchess of Sussex stands after she and her husband Britain’s Prince Harry placed a Cross of Remembrance as they attend the official opening of the annual Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in London. King Charles will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019 file photo Meghan the Duchess of Sussex stands after she and her husband Britain’s Prince Harry placed a Cross of Remembrance as they attend the official opening of the annual Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in London. King Charles will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, and from left, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate the Duchess of Cambridge watch a flypast of Royal Air Force aircraft pass over Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, and from left, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate the Duchess of Cambridge watch a flypast of Royal Air Force aircraft pass over Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, May 22, 2018 file photo, Britian’s Prince Charles, left, speaks with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, during a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, May 22, 2018 file photo, Britian’s Prince Charles, left, speaks with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, during a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 file photo, Prince William, Kate Duches of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Prince Charles, from left, walk back following the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool, File)
FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 file photo, Prince William, Kate Duches of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Prince Charles, from left, walk back following the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool, File)
FILE - Australian newspapers report in Sydney, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, on an interview of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
FILE - Australian newspapers report in Sydney, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, on an interview of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
FILE - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)
FILE - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)
FILE - Britain’s Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, far right, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, right, Prince Harry, rear left, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex ride in a carriage to attend the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in London, Saturday, June 8, 2019. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
FILE - Britain’s Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, far right, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, right, Prince Harry, rear left, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex ride in a carriage to attend the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in London, Saturday, June 8, 2019. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Andrew attends the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in London, Monday Sept. 19, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Hannah Mckay/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Britain’s Prince Andrew attends the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in London, Monday Sept. 19, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Hannah Mckay/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Front row from left, Britain’s King Charles III, Camilla the Queen Consort, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Kate Princess of Wales and the Sophie, Countess of Wessex, sit, during the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in London, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Front row from left, Britain’s King Charles III, Camilla the Queen Consort, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Kate Princess of Wales and the Sophie, Countess of Wessex, sit, during the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in London, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. King Charles III will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for the new king’s coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who won’t be attending. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP, File)
King Charles III lives in a palace, travels in a chauffeur-driven Bentley and is one of Britain’s richest men, but he’s similar to many of his subjects in one very basic way: His family life is complicated — very complicated.
There’s a second wife, an embarrassing brother, and an angry son and daughter-in-law, all with allies who aren’t shy about whispering family secrets in the ears of friendly reporters.
The new king will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for Charles’ coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are attending.
How Charles manages his family drama over the coming weeks and years is crucial to the king’s efforts to preserve and protect the 1,000-year-old hereditary monarchy he now embodies. Without the respect of the public, the House of Windsor risks being lumped together with pop stars, social media influencers and reality TV contestants as fodder for the British tabloids, undermining the cachet that underpins its role in public life.
Royal historian Hugo Vickers says people should look past the sensational headlines and focus on what Charles accomplishes now that he is king.
“In a sense, he sort of becomes a new man when he becomes king,” said Vickers, author of “Coronation: The Crowning of Elizabeth II.”
“Look at him as he is now, look at him the way he is approaching everything, look at his positivity and look at how right he’s been on so many issues,” he added. “Unfortunately, he had those difficult times with his marriages and some of the other issues, but we live in a very tricky era.”
The horror show came back to haunt Charles last week, when the king’s estranged younger son, Prince Harry, dropped a new round of allegations Tuesday about the royal family into the middle of the coronation buildup.
In written evidence for his invasion of privacy claim against a British newspaper, Harry claimed his father prevented him from filing the lawsuit a decade ago. The prince said Charles didn’t want to dredge up graphic testimony about his extramarital affair with the former Camilla Parker-Bowles when he was married to the late Princess Diana.
Diana was the mother of Harry and his elder brother and heir to the throne, William, the Prince of Wales. Camilla, now the queen consort, went on to marry Charles in 2005 and will be crowned alongside her husband at Westminster Abbey.
If the past is any indication, attention will now shift to body language, seating plans and even wardrobe choices during the coronation, as royal watchers look for any signs of a thaw in the family tensions.
But Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, doesn’t expect Harry to have a lot of contact with the rest of his family. In any case, Harry won’t be in the U.K. for long, so there’s not much time for fence mending.
“The stuff that we discovered (Tuesday) is really not going to help his cause,” Little said. “But, you know, will there be time to go over all that with the king and the Prince of Wales? Unlikely.”
The royal soap opera didn’t begin with the current generation of royals. After all, Edward VIII sparked a constitutional crisis in 1936 when he abdicated the throne to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson.
Charles’ grandfather, George VI, is credited with saving the monarchy with a life of low-key public service after he replaced his flamboyant elder brother. The late Queen Elizabeth II burnished the family’s reputation during a 70-year reign, in which she became a symbol of stability who cheered the nation’s victories and comforted it during darker times.
But Charles grew up in a different era, under the glare of media attention as deference to the monarchy faded.
He has been a controversial figure ever since the very public breakdown of his marriage to Diana, who was revered by many people for her looks and her compassion.
Diana alleged that there had been “three people” in the marriage, pointing the finger at Charles’ longtime love Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Camilla, initially reviled by Diana’s fans, has worked hard to rehabilitate her image. Her ex-husband and their children are expected to attend the coronation, with her grandsons serving as pages of honor.
She supports a raft of causes, ranging from adult literacy to protecting the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. But even that effort has sparked tensions.
Harry claimed in his memoir “Spare” that the senior royals leaked unflattering stories about him to the news media in return for more favorable coverage, particularly to improve Camilla’s image.
At the time of their marriage in 2018, Harry and Meghan were celebrated as the new face of the monarchy. Meghan, a biracial American actress, brought a touch of Hollywood glamour to the royal family and many observers hoped she would help the Windsors connect with younger people in an increasingly multicultural nation.
Those hopes quickly crumbled amid allegations that palace officials were insensitive to Meghan’s mental health struggles as she adjusted to royal life.
Harry and Meghan walked away from frontline royal duties three years ago and moved to California, from which they have lobbed repeated critiques at the House of Windsor.
In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey they hinted at racism in the palace, alleging that one unidentified member of the royal family had inquired about the color of their unborn son’s skin before his birth.
Harry, i n a Netflix series broadcast last year, said the episode was an example of unconscious bias and that the royal family needed to “learn and grow” so it could be “part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”
The repeated attacks led to months of speculation about whether the couple would be invited to the coronation. The palace finally answered that question two weeks ago when it announced that Harry would attend but Meghan would remain in California with their two children.
And then there is Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, who became a toxic time bomb inside the royal family when the world learned about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the financier’s long-time girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes in 2008, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on a second set of charges. Maxwell was convicted last year of helping procure young girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Florida.
Andrew gave up his royal duties in 2019 after a disastrous interview with the BBC in which he tried to explain away his links to Epstein and Maxwell. He was stripped of his honorary military titles and patronages as he prepared to defend a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who said she was forced to have sex with the prince when she was a teenager.
Andrew denied the allegations but settled the suit last year before it came to trial. While terms of the agreement weren’t released, The Sun newspaper reported that Charles and the late queen paid the bulk of the estimated 7 million pound ($8.7 million) settlement.
“I think it was inevitable that when Charles became king, a lot of the personal stuff would come back to haunt him,″ Little said. “I think as far as the king is concerned, he just has to shrug his shoulders and get on with the job in hand.”
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