Tuesday 27 September 2022 02:23 AM King Charles 'saw "tremendous flickers of hope" speaking to Harry and Meghan', ... trends now

King Charles 'saw "tremendous flickers of hope" when he spoke to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Queen's funeral and believes he might even be able to mend the relationship', royal insiders have revealed.

The monarch held conversations with his son and daughter-in-law that have left him feeling hopeful as the Royal Family came together to grieve in the wake of the late Queen's death.

'It remains the case that the King loves both of his children,' a royal insider told the Telegraph.

'Over the last 16 days or so, there were tremendous flickers of hope. In terms of the future, there is hope of a cause for unity.'

This comes after a number of revelations regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

A bombshell book has claimed the couple had hoped to move into a 'suite of apartments at Windsor Castle' but were given Frogmore Cottage instead.

Prince Harry, 38, and Meghan Markle, 41, reportedly had their hearts set on a home in the heart of the Queen's Berkshire residence but were left disappointed, according to claims published in Katie Nicholl's book, The New Royals.

'When Harry and Meghan announced their wish to move out of Kensington Palace, the Queen offered them Frogmore Cottage in Windsor Great Park as their new home,' Nicholl writes, in an extract first published in the Mail On Sunday. 

'This was not the suite of apartments at Windsor Castle they had hoped for. It was a generous gesture nonetheless, recalled Lady Elizabeth Anson, who died in 2020. 

'"The cottage was a big deal," she said. "The Queen's entrance into the gardens is right next to their cottage. 

'It is essentially her back yard, her solitude, and her privacy. She was giving that up in gifting Harry and Meghan Frogmore Cottage. We all thought it was very big of her. She said, "I hope they'll respect it."'

'In April 2019, the couple finally moved in. Then, the following month, Buckingham Palace announced a still more significant departure: Harry and Meghan were moving their Royal Household – effectively their office – from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace.'

The move was particularly significant because it signalled the end of Harry and William's 'double act', Nicholl notes, and was 'deeply disappointing' for the Queen. 

Elsewhere Nicholl claims the late Queen was surprised that divorcee Meghan opted for a white wedding dress - and also told the Duchess off for chastising a kitchen worker who was preparing her a special meal.

The author said: ‘[Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s] wedding day was a great success, although the Queen had reservations about the pure white of Meghan's Givenchy dress, designed by Clare Waight Keller.

‘According to a source: “The Queen was surprised that Meghan wore pure white on her wedding day. Perhaps it's a generational thing, but she believes if you've been married before, you wear off-white on your wedding day, which is what the Duchess of Cornwall did.”

‘Keen to support anyone marrying into her family, however, the Queen did her best to get to know the new Duchess.’

She continued: ‘Meghan's direct approach had even come to the notice of the Queen. On one occasion in the run-up to the wedding, Meghan went to Windsor Castle for a menu-tasting and ended up having a tense exchange with a member of staff, according to one source.

‘“Meghan was at the castle to taste some of the dishes, and told one of the caterers she could taste egg,” said the source. ”She got quite upset, saying that the dish was meant to be vegan and macrobiotic, when suddenly the Queen walked in and said. 'Meghan, in this family we don't speak to people like that.'”’ 

Royal editor Nicholl has published one of two bombshell books that make explosive claims about the Royal Family. 

A second, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low, claims Meghan believed she would be the 'Beyoncé of the UK' when she married Prince Harry, before she found that she hated the strict rules of royal life and later sensationally quit her duties. 

The book, which was previewed in The Times, also ran allegations that the Queen was forced to put her foot down over Megxit and told the Sussexes they were 'either in or out' at the crunch Sandringham summit where the royals decided Harry and Meghan's future.

Mr Low said that the royals met at a so-called 'Sandringham summit' five days after the Duke and Duchess announced their plans to step down as senior working royals on January 8, 2020.

During initial deliberations, the Queen wanted all four royal households to work together quickly in order to find a solution.

In the days that followed, meetings were held at Clarence House, then Prince Charles' home, including secretaries from the four households, before discussions moved to Buckingham Palace.

Simon Case, Prince William's private secretary, was also involved, 'talking to both sides', the newspaper reported.

These included five possible scenarios including giving the Duke and Duchess a month each year for their own activities, or taking on only a small number of engagements and spending most of their time doing other things.

As part of these options, blanket rules on not making decisions for financial or material gain - either for themselves or friends - would apply.

A former palace insider said: 'I think Meghan thought she was going to be the Beyoncé of the UK. Being part of the royal family would give her that kudos.

'Whereas what she discovered was that there were so many rules that were so ridiculous that she couldn't even do the things that she could do as a private individual, which is tough.'

But another called it an impossible task, with the two worlds of royalty and celebrity unable to comprehend each other.

They said that the Duchess would be unable to fit the model of a working royal, with the palace unable to accept 'who she wanted to be'.

Mr Low writes that it was the monarch herself who felt that unless the couple were willing to follow the rules which apply to all working royals, they would 'not be allowed to carry out official duties'.

'There was a very clear view: you can't be in and out,' a source told Mr Low. 'And if you've got such clarity of view, it's very difficult to say, 'Why don't we go 10 per cent this way instead of 20 per cent?''

This meant that compromise was taken off the table by the Queen, the author said.

He also claimed that the couple felt 'cornered and misunderstood' by the Palace due to 'initial inflexibility' surrounding their request.

Prince Harry initially sent an email to his father, then Prince Charles, regarding their concerns and desire to move to the US, but was told that it required a 'proper family conversation' that could not be held until at least January 29, 2020.

This, Mr Low wrote, was received badly by the couple, who had hoped to quickly resolve the matter following their request.

The response prompted the prince to organise a private meeting with the Queen, but this was cancelled, with Harry being told that she was no longer available and had been confused about her diary arrangements.

Courtiers saw the meeting as a chance for the Duke to win the Queen's support first, before beginning wider talks with the royal family.

'There was a danger that a private conversation could be interpreted very differently by two people,' a source told Mr Low.

The author added that Harry considered driving unannounced to Sandringham to speak to the Queen, but decided against the move.

A different bombshell book has claimed Meghan Markle believed she would be the 'Beyoncé of the UK' when she married Prince Harry, before she found that she hated the strict rules of royal life and later sensationally quit her duties as the Duchess of Sussex.

The explosive extracts of the forthcoming book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low, were published by The Times today.

Insiders have claimed the duchess believed that she would become Britain's Beyoncé upon marrying the Queen's grandson - but was disillusioned by the strict protocols and rules of life as a working member of the royal family and felt increasingly 'cornered and misunderstood' by The Firm.

The book also ran allegations that the Queen was forced to put her foot down over Megxit and told the Sussexes they were 'either in or out' at the crunch Sandringham summit where the royals decided Harry and Meghan's future.

Mr Low said that the royals met at a so-called 'Sandringham summit' five days after the Duke and Duchess announced their Megxit plans on January 8, 2020.

During initial deliberations, the Queen wanted all four royal households to work together quickly in order to find a solution.

In the days that followed, meetings were held at Clarence House, then Prince Charles' home, including secretaries from the four households, before discussions moved to Buckingham Palace.

Simon Case, Prince William's private secretary, was also involved, 'talking to both sides', the newspaper reported. 

These included five possible scenarios including giving the Duke and Duchess a month each year for their own activities, or taking on only a small number of engagements and spending most of their time doing other things.

As part of these options, blanket rules on not making decisions for financial or material gain - either for themselves or friends - would apply.

A former palace insider said: 'I think Meghan thought she was going to be the Beyoncé of the UK. Being part of the royal family would give her that kudos. Whereas what she discovered was that there were so many rules that were so ridiculous that she couldn't even do the things that she could do as a private individual, which is tough.'

But another called it an impossible task, with the two worlds of royalty and celebrity unable to comprehend each other.

They said that the Duchess would be unable to fit the model of a working royal, with the palace unable to accept 'who she wanted to be'.

Mr Low writes that it was the monarch herself who felt that unless the couple were willing to follow the rules which apply to all working royals, they would 'not be allowed to carry out official duties'. 

'There was a very clear view: you can't be in and out,' a source told Mr Low. 'And if you've got such clarity of view, it's very difficult to say, 'Why don't we go 10 per cent this way instead of 20 per cent?''

This meant that compromise was taken off the table by the Queen, the author said.

He also claimed that the couple felt 'cornered and misunderstood' by the Palace due to 'initial inflexibility' surrounding their request.

Prince Harry initially sent an email to his father, then Prince Charles, regarding their concerns and desire to move to the US, but was told that it required a 'proper family conversation' that could not be held until at least January 29, 2020.

This, Mr Low wrote, was received badly by the couple, who had hoped to quickly resolve the matter following their request.

The response prompted the prince to organise a private meeting with the Queen, but this was cancelled, with Harry being told that she was no longer available and had been confused about her diary arrangements. 

Courtiers saw the meeting as a chance for the Duke to win the Queen's support first, before beginning wider talks with the royal family.

'There was a danger that a private conversation could be interpreted very differently by two people,' a source told Mr Low.

The author added that Harry considered driving unannounced to Sandringham to speak to the Queen, but decided against the move.

It comes as palace aides claimed Meghan moaned she wasn't getting paid for royal tours, agreed to the Oprah interview six months before Megxit and reduced staff to tears with bullying and tantrums in Mr Low's book.

The new book claims that during the royal tour of Australia in October 2018, Meghan did not understand why she had to shake people's hands or do walkabouts.

Staff reportedly heard her say: 'I can't believe I'm not getting paid for this.'

In The Times, Mr Low also describes the Duchess of Sussex's attitude towards her staff, describing a meeting where Meghan allegedly lambasted a young female member in front of colleagues over a plan she had presented.

After the woman told her that it would be difficult to execute a new plan, Meghan said: 'Don't worry. If there was literally anyone else I could ask to do this, I would be asking them instead of you.'

Meghan is said to have berated staff repeatedly, including one occasion when an employee fell foul of the duchess over a mixup involving press at an engagement.

The Duchess's lawyers denied last year that any of the staff were bullied and added that they were grateful for Miss Cohen's support and dedication.