Details About King Charles' Messiest Family Feuds
After over six decades serving as the longest Prince of Wales in history, King Charles III was crowned on May 6, 2023, and he officially became the leader of the British royals. Sitting at the head of any family tree is a heavy burden, but taking on the role of the United Kingdom's monarch too is no easy task (even if Charles spent his entire life preparing for it).
The House of Windsor may be the sovereign squad of the U.K., but they are still, first and foremost, a family. So despite their prominence and power, they are all too acquainted with the drama that unfolds between close relations. And, with more than seven decades of living already under his belt, King Charles III has had more than enough time to foster hostilities between himself and many members of his royal brood. Those who King Charles have the rockiest relationships with, as well as the cause behind the acrimony, may surprise you.
Prince Harry's departure is still an unhealed wound for King Charles
Prince Harry and King Charles have been feuding for years, and while Charles' cancer diagnosis could bring the pair back together, there is a lot of damage that needs to be mended in their relationship. Prince Harry's marriage to Meghan Markle and their subsequent pillorying in the U.K. press was the initial apparent catalyst for Prince Harry's departure from the royal family. However, Prince Harry's many startling disclosures in his memoir, "Spare," both widened the current rift between father and son as well as revealed that the cracks between Charles and Harry began long before Meghan Markle even entered the picture.
Obviously and understandably, the royal family has historically preferred to keep their personal lives private, so an open exhibition along the lines of "Spare" was always going to make waves. But according to insiders who spoke to Us Weekly, the king's biggest issue with his son's exposé wasn't about him, but rather his wife. "Charles harbors a lot of anger towards Harry. He's always been very protective of Camilla," the source said.
That frustration isn't a one-way street either, as Prince Harry has been vocal about the ways in which he feels betrayed by his father. In the Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan," the Duke of Sussex expressed his displeasure over issues like the withdrawal of the Sussexes' security protection.
Prince Andrew continues to embarrass the royal family
The British royal family is no stranger to scandal, but Prince Andrew's controversial friendship with Jeffrey Epstein may be their most appalling humiliation. "Andrew has been an embarrassment over the years on all sorts of levels, and I think Charles is very aware that the monarchy is a precarious institution that needs to be very mindful of how it looks to the public," royal expert Penny Junor explained (via The Daily Beast). Now that Charles is at the head of the monarchy, it's left to him to clean up any PR messes that his younger brother creates. But, that isn't the only point of contention between King Charles and Prince Andrew.
Although King Charles has only been the reigning monarch for a brief time, he and Prince Andrew have already come into conflict over Andrew's extravagant home, Royal Lodge. Charles reportedly wasn't keen on spending so much money for Andrew's accommodations, but because Prince Andrew stepped down from his gig as a working royal in the aftermath of the Epstein scandal, Royal Lodge was now out of his price range. As an insider explained to the Daily Mail, "He's not being explicitly kicked out but it's expected that he won't be able to afford the maintenance."
While this decision seems to fall in line with King Charles' broader aims to streamline the British monarchy, the Duke of York seemed to take it personally, with a source telling the paper, "It feels as though his brother wishes to evict him."
Princess Anne disagrees with her older brother
What's family without a bit of sibling rivalry? The British royals are in a unique position because their personal passions often become their public projects, and King Charles III has been well-known for his environmentalism for decades. During his tenure as king, Charles has already made royal residences more eco-friendly, and King Charles has consistently focused his diet on organic, seasonal, and sustainable fare. This point of view might seem positively uncontroversial, but surprisingly, Charles' sister, Anne, Princess Royal, has a differing perspective on the future of farming.
In contrast to King Charles III's commitment to organic food growth, Anne, Princess Royal, has openly advocated for the usage of genetically modified, or GM, crops. In an interview (via Express), Princess Anne explained that "It has been an enormous advantage in many parts of the world to use GM wisely for very specific environments."
Unlike some other royals who have found themselves in conflict with King Charles, though, Princess Anne seems to know when to pick her battles. When asked about whether she and her brother ever have discussions about their views on farming, she replied, "Yes ... occasionally, but rather short."
King Charles and Prince William are at odds
Although King Charles and William, Prince of Wales, have gone out of their way to present a united front to the public, royal watchers and insiders warn that the father and son are already experiencing friction as they adjust to their new roles in the monarchy.
In a conversation with Newsweek, "Endgame" author Omid Scobie said, "Despite being fed those lines or the briefings about father and son working in lockstep with one another, we've seen father and son on completely different paths at times, with completely different views on things." According to Scobie, William, Prince of Wales has an interest in modernizing the monarchy that has put him at odds with his father. And that's not all they've butted heads over.
Royal author Clive Irving explained to Express that King Charles envies Prince William's popularity with the public. "Charles is always very jealous of other people stealing his limelight," he said. And, while King Charles III has enjoyed solid support, with an April 2024 YouGov poll tallying his favorability at 63%, his resentment isn't entirely unfounded, as Prince William ranks 10 percentage points higher than his father with 73% approval.
Charles battled with Princess Diana over Camilla
After going through one of the most contentious public divorces in celebrity history, most of King Charles' other royal conflicts probably feel like child's play. Their marriage was seemingly doomed from the start, and Princess Diana nearly called off the wedding before it even happened. Considering what followed, a canceled wedding may have been the best case scenario.
Their 15-year marriage was strained by extramarital affairs on both ends, but the fundamental issue (aside from basic incompatibility) was King Charles' relationship with now-Queen consort Camilla. Then known as Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles' relationship with her began before he even met Diana, and it obviously outlasted their marriage by decades.
In the aftermath of their split, the Princess of Wales was all too happy to leave her life of royal rules behind, including their PR principle of "never complain, never explain." When asked by the BBC about Camilla's role in the dissolution of her marriage, Diana famously quipped, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." King Charles' feud with his ex-wife wasn't just his most contentious conflict with a member of the royal family, it was also his most exposed.