Proof Prince Harry was right all along

FROM LONDON: When it comes to Harry and Meghan, recollections can vary, but there’s now evidence one of his boldest claims was true.

If there’s one thing that’s become crystal clear in recent times, it’s that recollections can definitely vary when it comes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Enough of their claims, big and small, have been disputed that now every new accusation deserves to be examined under the largest available microscope.

But looking back at one of Harry’s most explosive royal bombshells … it turns out he may have been bang on the money.

The claim in question, largely buried in his memoir underneath more shocking revelations (i.e. Prince William’s physical violence, Kate’s icy texts to Meghan, and Harry’s “frostbitten todger”), had first been laid bare in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Oprah Winfrey interview back in 2021.

Harry accused his father of mounting jealousy-driven attempts to curb the popularity of his sons and their wives, an allegation which seemed a little far-fetched, given it concerned a man who always seemed to genuinely want the best for his children.

In Spare, Harry wrote that his father tried to exclude Meghan from the family’s pot of funds due to his fear that the “novel and resplendent” former actress would steal the spotlight.

There is no denying who the stars of the show are these days. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

According to Harry, Charles had “experienced that before and he had no interest in letting it happen to him again” – an obvious reference to one of the widely reported early pressure points between his mother and father.

Just days ago, with the King clinging to the honeymoon period of his promotion and with his face plastered on every piece of merchandise in the land, his other daughter-in-law quietly overtook her husband, a blood royal, as the most popular member of the family in a new Ipsos survey.

At the same time, the attitude towards the King among those under 40 is positively tepid.

On the streets of London, surrounded by life-size cut-outs of Charles and Camilla, and bunting with the coronation insignia, they’re gushing over the Prince and Princess of Wales.

In fact, many Brits say they would rather see the crown being placed on William’s head in Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

“I think it would be more interesting to see William take over, I think it may be time for change. I feel more connected with him and Kate,” said Ragnhild, 32, from London.

It’s a sentiment shared by Olivia, 21.

“I’d be way more interested in the royals if William was king instead. My friends and I, we know much more about him and Kate than we do about Charles – I feel like they’re just more relatable and they get the times we’re in.”

Pavia, 25, from East London explained: “It’s the way they interact with people. Everything – the causes, their fashion, all of it. I follow everything they do.”

And despite the fact 36-year-old Ben from Brixton doesn’t “really have an opinion of Charles” or even of the monarchy as a concept, he’s invested in William and Kate.

“My friends and I are all pretty across what William and Kate are up to, they just seem pretty down to earth and cool. They’d probably be the most relevant members of the family to be in the top job.”

In summary: William and Kate are now, more than ever, the undisputed stars of the show.

It’s not a new trend, and it’s hardly surprising that we’d rather see pictures of the ultra-glam Kate and William at their shiny best on the BAFTAs red carpet than poor old Charles shaking hands with dignitaries at Buckingham Palace.

This is front page material … Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

… this is not (apologies to New Zealand’s Prime Minister). Picture: Stefan Rousseau – Pool/Getty Images

By many royal accounts, including Harry’s, these details never, ever go unnoticed in the palace.

“My family read the tabloids, you know?” Harry told American journalist Anderson Cooper in January.

“It’s laid out at breakfast when everyone comes together. So, whether you walk around saying you believe it or not, it’s still leaving an imprint in your mind.”

There is no way that Charles, Camilla and their press team have somehow missed the fact that Kate and William have increasingly dominated headlines in recent months, a trend further fuelled by the gaping hole left behind by Harry and Meghan in 2020.

Harry and Meghan’s star power was undeniable within the royal fold. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Kate’s ever-present visibility in the media is even more impressive, given she was right down the lower end of the scale when it came to actually getting out and about last year.

She was only the ninth busiest royal, with 90 engagements across 2022 – marking a drop of 33 from the year before – and frequently vanished from public view for weeks on end to co-ordinate with her children’s school holidays.

Yet now, more than ever before, she is the most talked-about member of the (working) royal family.

Even a recent story about her possibly wearing flowers in her hair at the coronation has piqued more interest among the under-40s than the ceremony itself.

It’s reminiscent of Diana’s media darling days, and of Harry and Meghan’s showstopping – albeit short – joint royal era.

Unfortunately, we all know how those turned out – and no one remembers more clearly than the King and the team still working hard to sell he and Camilla to the masses.

We can’t ever know for certain what fears really keep Charles up at night, or his exact motive when he told Harry he couldn’t afford to pay for Meghan.

But amid a sea of his often head-scratching and occasionally downright dubious claims in recent years, Harry pointed out that he and his wife’s combined star power was always going to be a big problem for the palace.

With days to go until the coronation and William and Kate riding a wave of popularity at the expense of Charles, on that count, at least, he was probably right.

-Bronte Coy in London