King Charles III
Harry-Meghan conflict overshadows start of reign
What will happen next for Charles (right), Harry and Meghan?
© [M] imago/PPE / imago images/Cover-Images
How much does the conflict with Harry and Meghan weigh on King Charles III? “It’s a heavy burden,” says Royal expert Julia Melchior.
The relationship between the British royal family and their emigrant members Prince Harry (38) and Duchess Meghan (41) is heavily burdened after the Oprah Winfrey interview, Netflix documentary series and autobiography. After all, the second-born son of King Charles III flies. (74) for the coronation on Saturday in London’s Westminster Abbey. How much the family man Charles is burdened by the rift can only be speculated about. In an interview with spot on news, royal house expert Julia Melchior describes it as “a heavy burden” that “overshadows the start of his reign”. In her film “Charles III – Britain’s New King”, the in the ZDF media library she even speaks of Harry as “some kind of avenging angel” carrying on the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana (1961-1997).
How much does the drama surrounding his first wife, Princess Diana, still affect King Charles today?
Julia Melchior: Diana is a chapter in his life that he cannot break away from. That’s part of his biography. That Harry blames him for the problems he had back then is certainly a heavy burden. On the one hand, this overshadowed the start of his reign and, on the other hand, led to a family rift.
The wedding of Harry and Meghan in 2018 was still under a positive sign…
Melchior: The family wanted Harry to be happy. And despite the integration difficulties that the royal family saw in American actress Meghan early on, she was welcomed with open arms. It’s also important to remember that Charles was asked at short notice to walk Meghan down the aisle when her father dropped out for known reasons. It was natural for Charles to do that. And he has also kindly welcomed Meghan’s mother into the family.
Harry and Meghan should be officially involved in the institution. Why didn’t that work?
Melchior: Both sides failed each other. Meghan has failed to fit into the institution that serves the head of state. There may be various reasons for this, which can be explained by her biography and her personality. But it just happened too fast. There was no probationary period. Harry and Meghan fell in love, had a long-distance relationship and got married a little later.
… and the palace wasn’t prepared either?
Melchior: The royal family was not prepared for a woman of Meghan’s size and was not willing enough to integrate her. And here you have to be allowed to criticize, because that also has to do with the personnel management. And that’s what the Queen was for [1926-2022] and Charles in charge. You should have asked the couple before they got married: either you join us and we’ll find a role for you, or you’re out and live your own life – as is done in many other royal houses. The Royal Family is a big company and the Human Resources department is in need of reform, if you will.
After the back-and-forth regarding Harry and Meghan’s attendance at the coronation, Harry is now traveling alone from the US and will be leaving right after the ceremony. How do you find the solution?
Melchior: I’m happy for Charles that his second son is also present at the coronation. It’s a forgiving move. The day is the big milestone in his life that Harry belongs to. But I don’t think that we will experience moments at the coronation that we can read too much into. The focus will of course be on the main actors and Harry is not one of them. Protocol will be meticulous about ensuring that no images are created that show the brothers or father and son in a particular situation. Everything will follow the planned process. And everyone involved – including Harry – is professional enough to know that the day isn’t about Harry, it’s about the king.
The “ZDF Royal” special “King Charles III. – Coronation in London” summarizes the events of the day on Saturday evening from 7:25 p.m. Julia Melchior comments on the coronation ceremony with Christina von Ungern-Sternberg.