For King Charles, enough is enough. On the same day he marked three months as sovereign – a destiny he’d waited 73 years for – the King found himself sat in front of the television, lawyers on speed dial and senior aides waiting anxiously at the door, watching the most explosive TV tell-all in royal history – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix series.
“Harry appears hell-bent on destroying his family and everything they hold dear,” says a source.
“While the Queen was alive, Charles was forced to be more lenient than he would have liked about the ‘Harry and Meghan problem’. Now, dealing with it is his job alone, and he will simply not stand for them making a mockery of the monarchy while still profiting from their titles.
“He wants them stripped – but most people don’t realise he can’t do it alone.”
New Idea understands that Charles, 74, “began testing the waters” with British parliament in recent months, when he lobbied to include his siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, as counsellors of state – not quite firing Prince Harry and Prince Andrew, but eliminating the need to call on them should the King be overseas or incapacitated.
“Charles is a shrewd operator and while he’s not meant to meddle in politics, he knows how it all works,” says a source. “When parliament quickly agreed to examine the issue, he realised he may have enough support to start the next phase – having an MP introduce a member’s bill to give the King the power to strip the Sussexes of their Dukedom. And after what he saw on Netflix, this day couldn’t come a moment too soon.”
Meanwhile, royal expert Phil Dampier tells New Idea the royals “can no longer pretend that this isn’t very serious and keep forgiving Harry and Meghan”.
Phil continues: “This feud shows no signs of slowing down. Most of the British public think they should be stripped of their royal titles, but it’s not a simple process. Charles has always kept his door open but he may be forced to change his mind after seeing the series.”
He adds: “We have been told the royals are weary of the Sussexes’ outbursts and that they will retain a dignified silence, but I’m not sure I believe that.”
