Prince William and Charles grew closer after Megxit says Palmer

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The monarch is said to be deeply hurt at the criticism against the Palace unleashed by his youngest son and his wife. But despite his torment, Charles’s love for Harry trumps all and he has not given up hope of eventually building bridges between the Windsors’ warring factions, insiders have said.

The Palace is maintaining a dignified silence at Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary and will continue that policy when the Duke of Sussex’s book Spare is released in the New Year.

Sources have made it clear The King does not want to strip Harry and Meghan of their titles and that in time a meeting may be able to take place to try and heal the rift ahead of his coronation in May.

“The hope is that once the dust has settled the family will be able to move on and put the past behind them,” a Palace source said.

The source said of The King: “He loves both his sons and hope springs eternal for a happier future all round. If some can stop fixating on the past.”

Asked about the possibility of The King extending an olive branch, they added: “Let’s see how things evolve.”

Charles’s magnanimous attitude shows a deep compassion and forgiveness in the wake of the Netflix documentary which saw Harry accusing his father of saying things that “just simply weren’t true”, William of being “terrifying” and Palace officials briefing against him and Meghan.

Royal author Christopher Wilson said: “Imagine the hurt feelings of The King today. He has lost a son twice over – as a beloved member of his family, and as a valuable member of Team Windsor.

“That Harry has cast himself out, and done his best to trash the first months of his father’s reign, is unforgivable. But you’re left with the overwhelming belief that, despite all, Charles still loves Harry and would welcome him back into the fold. We are seeing signs of compassion in the sovereign that maybe we never saw before. But for sure, he must be hurting inside.”

The documentary has triggered calls for the couple to be stripped of their Duke and Duchess titles and last night a OnePoll survey commissioned by the Express showed 62 percent of those questioned think Harry and Meghan should relinquish them.

Only 25 percent said they should keep them with 13 percent saying they ‘Did not know.’

Sources close to The King have made it clear that he will not support MPs who want to strip any members of his family of their titles. Downing Street has said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also not in favour of such action.

Tory MP Bob Seely wants to amend the 1917 Titles Deprivation Act to give the Privy Council power to downgrade Harry and Meghan’s royal status. But without Government support, his efforts are doomed and constitutional experts have warned anyway that it would be technically difficult to amend the 1917 Act, which was aimed specifically at a handful of German aristocrats fighting against Britain in the First World War.

In the six-episode Netflix series, Harry, confirmed that he and Meghan had offered to relinquish their titles when they first told their family in January 2020 that they intended to quit their senior royal roles.

There were calls yesterday for them to give up their titles and their royal status.

The distinguished royal biographer and historian Hugo Vickers said: “I think they should but I don’t think they will.”

Members of public react to Harry and Meghan's docuseries

He praised The King and the rest of the family for carrying on regardless and insisted they were right not to react publicly to the Sussexes’ complaints. “The less said the better,” he added.

Joe Little, a veteran royal watcher and the managing editor of Majesty magazine, also supported the idea of them giving up their titles voluntarily but doubted it would happen. “If they relinquish their titles, they are devalued monetarily,” he said.

Indeed despite making the offer initially, Harry and Meghan have continued to use their royal titles to make money. The late Queen had to intervene to stop them from using the name Sussex Royal for their charitable foundation after they quit.

Indeed it is not clear how they could relinquish their titles without the support of The King and the Government.

There are only two ways it can be done: through an Act of Parliament or with The King using the royal prerogative by issuing Letters Patent.

Dr Bob Morris of the Constitution Unit at University College London said: “They could just stop using their titles in practice but that wouldn’t be legal.”

Similarly, the only way for Harry to be removed from the line of succession is for Parliament to bring in legislation.

The only way for him to remove himself is by converting to Catholicism. Catholics are banned from being King.

Sources said The King wants resolution without retribution and is most saddened to see his sons locked in bitter conflict.

In a deeply distressing passage for the Royal Family, just three months after the death of The Queen, Harry, 38, who quit as a working royal in 2020, claimed William, 40, is defined by the institution and screamed at him during a Sandringham summit where the future of the Sussexes was decided.

In the warts-and-all show, he added: “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and my father say things that just simply weren’t true.

“And my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there and take it all in.”

Charles, 74, and Camilla, 75, are understood to have given the Netflix series a miss but have been briefed on its contents by aides.

The King and Queen Consort will now spend a quiet Christmas at Sandringham without the Sussexes, before the release of Harry’s biography in the New Year.

Entitled Spare, the book is described as being written “not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become” and is set for release on January 10.

The King’s considered silence comes as politicians take aim at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying they risk overshadowing Charles’s official accession and ramping up public displeasure.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “If they dislike the Royal Family so much why would they attend the Coronation?”

His thoughts were shared by Tory grandee David Mellor who said: “They shouldn’t come to the Coronation. They categorically shouldn’t come.

“They make money out of selling their family down the river. I think it should be made clear that the British people do not want them there. They are a sad pair and there is no hope for them on their current course.”

The fallout has been emotional as well as physical, with Charles twice the victim of “egging” incidents during public walkabouts.

Coronation Day on Saturday, May 6 at Westminster Abbey will see The King crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, some 70 years after his mother.

Potential peace talks will be put on hold until after the release of Spare, in which Harry, says in a foreword: “I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story — the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned — I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.”

He added: “I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a firsthand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful.”

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