Who could object to a heartfelt telephone conversation between birthday boy King Charles and prodigal son Harry?
And it’s really good news if, as reported in the Daily Telegraph, Tuesday’s private conversation marked a “turning point” in the father-son relationship.
But the key word here is “private,” says Richard Eden in the latest edition of his Palace Confidential newsletter.
How did the BBC know in advance that Prince Harry would call his father? And how did the Daily Telegraph subsequently discover the contents of a conversation to which few others would have been privy?
King Charles turned 75 on Tuesday, but Prince Harry was not at the private family celebration
It was reported that Charles was on the phone with his younger son – and a media outlet reported surprising details of what was said
The king spent much of his birthday promoting his campaign against food waste
The BBC seemed to know in advance that the King would be speaking to Harry on the phone, while the Daily Telegraph seemed to know in hindsight what had been discussed
We don’t know the answer to these questions. But, Eden continues, this apparent briefing “may have increased the royals’ distrust of the easy-going couple in California.”
“The fact that details of a private conversation were made public so quickly could serve as a warning about possible future invitations,” he concludes.
Eden, editor of the Chron’s “Eden Confidential,” suggests that Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have the opportunity to reveal intimate details of private conversations with other members of the royal family, citing their interview with Oprah Winfrey, her Netflix series and Prince Harry’s cheesy memoir, Spare.
“One of the main reasons preventing the two privacy activists from re-establishing friendly relations with the Windsors is their refusal to respect other people’s expectations of privacy,” he writes.
“While Buckingham Palace officials have steadfastly refused to reveal details of King Charles’ private birthday celebrations, “sources” with knowledge of Harry’s intentions told the BBC that he would call his father on his birthday.
“Then the Daily Telegraph, one of the few British newspapers that Harry spoke favorably about, managed to obtain details of the telephone conversation between His Majesty and his younger son.”
The Royal Family attends the 2019 Commonwealth Day Service, the last official event attended by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (right) before leaving front-line duty
Prince Harry and tearful Meghan attend the late Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral
Richard Eden suggests that leaked details of Harry’s conversation with his father could serve as a warning if future invitations are being considered
“Just hours after the chat, the Telegraph reported that the couple “had a warm conversation” after Harry called his father to wish him a happy birthday.
“It has been claimed that the king and his son will “speak again next week” after a phone call to mark the monarch’s 75th birthday marked a “turning point” in their relationship.”
The Telegraph suspected King also spoke to Meghan, while Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet appeared to have recorded a video of themselves singing “Happy Birthday” to their grandfather.
“While it is good to see the royal’s relationship with his son improving, it is clear that Harry and Meghan are not welcome at family events,” concludes Eden.
“Although family members, including the Duke of Gloucester, the King’s once distant first cousin, and Princess Margaret’s daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, attended the birthday celebration, no invitation arrived in Montecito.”
It is an unpleasant situation, but one that is unlikely to be alleviated, he says, by colorful leaks about private conversations with the king.
To read more of Richard’s royal expert commentary, click here