Last month, the royal drama hit a new high (or low, depending on your perspective) when Prince Harry’s spokesperson announced that King Charles was too busy to meet his son. It was like a soap opera cliffhanger, complete with royal snubs and palace shenanigans. King Charles and his entourage had been playing games that would make toddlers on a sugar rush look sensible, but this statement was the pièce de résistance. Cue Buckingham Palace’s epic two-week meltdown, which featured more plot twists than a telenovela and left everyone feeling like they were watching an episode of “The Crown” written by a soap opera scribe.
Ever since, Buckingham Palace has been frantically trying to act like they’ve got it all together. They’ve been furiously spinning tales to make it seem like King Charles is the picture of familial warmth and not a grumpy grandpa with a penchant for petty drama. “Of course Charles wants to see Harry,” they insist. “Of course he adores his Sussex grandkids,” they cry. “Of course he’s a delightful granddad, not a grouchy, vengeful curmudgeon,” they proclaim. Sure, and I’m the Queen of England. Speaking of royal proclamations:
Apparently, King Charles has had an epiphany and now wants to build a relationship with Harry’s kids, Archie and Lilibet. This life-altering decision allegedly came after he realized he’d met Archie, age five, just a few times and Lilibet, age two, only once. Maybe he got tired of being the absentee grandpa on Zoom. He even sent Lilibet a “heartfelt gift and card” for her birthday, which sounds nice until you realize the bar for royal grandparenting has apparently been set at “Remember they exist.”
According to sources, the 75-year-old King, who’s been battling cancer since February, has been in a reflective mood. Must be all those dramatic palace mirrors. He’s decided it’s time to play catch-up with his grandkids after scaling back on royal engagements due to his health. He’s now “keener than ever” to be involved in his family’s life, which is just British for “I should probably start pretending to care.”
Those in the know claim King Charles is an enthusiastic grandpa to Prince William’s kids: George, Charlotte, and Louis. He’s like a royal cheerleader for them, while his wife Camilla is apparently the motivational coach pushing him to spend time with Harry’s offspring. You go, Camilla!
An insider spilled, “The King is absolutely committed to being present in all his grandchildren’s lives.” Translation: He doesn’t want to be the grandpa who only shows up on Wi-Fi. Ingrid Seward, a royal author, chimed in, saying, “Family has always been important to the King.” Sure, if by family you mean those grandkids who live closer to his royal digs. She adds that his cancer has made him realize he won’t be around forever, so he’s suddenly eager to share his wisdom while the kids are young enough to endure it.
Meanwhile, a friend of Harry’s insisted, “There’s never been an issue with the King being in their lives.” Ah, the classic “the door’s always open” line. It’s like saying the Wi-Fi signal is always strong, even if no one’s connecting.
Oh, and let’s not forget the juicy bits. Charles kicked his grandkids out of their British home, considered stripping them of their titles, and made racist comments about their skin color. Security? Meh. He’s also brushed off invites to see them both in California and the UK, and scheduled his coronation on Archie’s birthday, just to keep things spicy. He forced Harry to make a choice while conveniently forgetting to invite the kids to England. If this were a sitcom, it would be called “Everybody Hates Charles.”
So, while the palace is trying to spin this as “business as usual,” it feels more like “The Royal Circus Continues.” Until King Charles makes some serious changes, it looks like he’ll be sticking to those video calls.
