Charles may never see Archie and Lilibet again

The royal family breakdown has led to a situation where King Charles reportedly faces never seeing his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet again.

Prince Harry said this week in a TV interview that he won’t travel to Britain with Meghan due to security fears of an attack from a “lone actor.” And, as commentators told the Mail on Sunday, this means King Charles will become increasingly “remote” from the children in an “incredibly sad situation.”

The children also do not see their maternal grandfather, Thomas Markle. King Charles last saw Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, in June 2022 during the late queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Harry, 39, has returned to the U.K. several times since, without his wife and children, either for official events or to pursue his legal battles with the British media.

Harry has lost a legal battle in which he sought to oblige the state to automatically offer him and his family police protection on U.K. soil. In February, Harry lost a High Court challenge seeking to overturn that loss. The Mail reports that there is frustration within the Palace about suggestions that Charles could resolve the issue by restoring Prince Harry’s police protection, as that decision that lies with the Home Office committee overseeing royal security.

In his interview with this week’s TV show Tabloids on Trial, Harry suggested an attacker could be inspired by tabloid articles—and confirmed he would travel solo in the future due to genuine concerns for his family’s safety.

Harry and Meghan pose with the medalists after the sitting volleyball final at the 2023 Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for injured soldiers, in Duesseldorf, Germany September 15, 2023.

He said: “All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they’ve read. And whether it’s a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”

Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, told the Mail that, given his age and health, a visit to America by the king is unlikely. Royal author Margaret Holder added that it’s difficult for the monarch to travel privately, making a visit to California challenging, but added: “Harry increased the risk to himself, his wife and his family by boasting about killing 25 Taliban fighters in his book.”

William flies on

Prince William has defied King Charles’ desire that he stop flying his entire family by helicopter, according to a new book, Catherine the Princess of Wales, by royal commentator Robert Jobson, serialized in the Daily Mail.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Charles reportedly insisted William sign a formal document, “acknowledging the risks involved and taking full responsibility for his actions.”

Prince William, as he begins his new job with the East Anglian Air Ambulance at Cambridge Airport on July 13, 2015 in Cambridge, England.

William flew helicopters for East Anglian Air Ambulance, though when it comes to the dangers of personal flying, Charles is echoing Queen Elizabeth’s own worry about her grandson flying the craft.

William, who reportedly called flying helicopters “better than anything,” is ignoring what the Sun calls an “unwritten rule” that senior royals don’t fly together, taking wife Catherine, and kids George, Charlotte, and Louis by chopper from Kensington Palace to their country home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk. Kensington Palace refused to comment on the claims around the Charles document, or whether William was still flying his family, the Sun reported.

Those William-Charles clashes

Prince William and Charles are both hot-tempered individuals, and Robert Jobson’s new biography of Princess Kate details her efforts to play peacemaker.

One courtier told Jobson: “The king’s relationship with both his sons has been difficult over the years. Even now he is king, with the Prince of Wales, there can be differences of opinion and tensions. Of course, they love each other, but they clash, and sometimes William needs handling with kid gloves.”

King Charles III and Prince William on May 13, 2024.

Another source said: “You have to check first which way the wind is blowing with the prince. They don’t see eye to eye on several issues, but why should they? [Prince William’s] moment in the top job will come—perhaps he would do well to remember it is not yet. This is His Majesty’s time.”

Jobson says William “is a bit of a shouter,” when he loses his temper.

Queen Elizabeth’s end

Jobson also paints a heartbreaking picture of the late Queen Elizabeth at the end of her life, nearly blind and pouring tea over her tea tray.

Jobson says that after the death of Philip, followed by the deaths of several close friends, she felt “increasingly isolated” and “took to inviting former members of her staff to come to visit her in her private apartments to talk about the old times.”

Queen Elizabeth waits in the Drawing Room before receiving Liz Truss for an audience, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, Sept. 6, 2022.

Jobson says the queen’s decline was part of the reason for William’s move to Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor estate.

By the end, the queen struggled to even control a teapot.

“Her Majesty could hardly see and just didn’t have the strength. She would get terribly frustrated as she hated causing a mess, pouring it over the tray. She asked for a smaller pot and would get frustrated when the staff forgot and brought the big one.”

Meghan Markle, whizz at biz

Meghan Markle—who has finished filming her new lifestyle show for Netflix—is picking up business tips in the Hamptons, Page Six reports. Meghan is preparing to officially launch her new lifestyle business, American Riviera Orchard. (As you remember, led by the jams that have so far only been sampled by celebrity friends and influencers.)

Meghan reportedly flew east from California on a private jet with entrepreneur Jamie Kern Lima to attend the G9 Ventures Summer Summit, hosted by power broker Amy Griffin.

Page Six reported that other rumored guests included Gwyneth Paltrow, alongside A-lister Reese Witherspoon, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, actress Laura Dern and Katie Couric. Also in attendance: Markle BFF, designer Misha Nonoo, Missy Robbins, the chef behind Williamsburg hotspots Lillia and Misi, make-up icon Bobbi Brown, Weight Watchers CEO Sima Sistani, and investor Kirsten Greene.

This week in royal history

Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married on July 29, 1981. Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall married on July 30, 2011.

Prince Charles kisses Princess Diana on the Buckingham Palace balcony on their wedding day, July 29, 1981.

Unanswered questions

Will Charles see Archie and Lilibet again? Did Charles really make William sign a risk acknowledgment waiver around flying helicopters?