This One Royal Will "Never Forgive" Harry and Meghan, Say Insiders
Mia Russell
It's no surprise that Prince Charles and Prince William have reportedly been angry and upset by Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's comments and shocking allegations about the Royal Family since moving to California. Their bombshell CBS special with Oprah Winfrey back in March proved to be just the beginning of a steady stream of stunning revelations with more interviews (including the debut of Harry's The Me You Can't See Apple TV+ docuseries with Winfrey) and major announcements (like Harry publishing a memoir next year) that have pushed the House of Windsor to the brink, sources say.
"The events of this year that started with Harry and Meghan's shocking interview with Oprah have had a seismic effect on the Royal Family," a royal insider told Best Life. "The Sussexes' allegations of racist statements made by an unnamed family cast a cloud over the entire Royal Family that still lingers. There is plenty of anger within the family towards Harry and Meghan."
But the Sussexes do seem to have an ally in Queen Elizabeth. Recent reports claim Harry and Meghan have requested a meeting with Her Majesty to discuss having their daughter, Lilibet Diana, christened in her presence in England. Sources have told Best Life Her Majesty would "welcome them back with open arms." However, there is one surprising royal who insiders say will "never forgive" Harry and Meghan. For this person, the events of this past tumultuous year crossed the line. Read on to find which royal has no plans to forgive or forget.
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Sources say Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will "never forgive" Harry and Meghan.
One might think it would be the Queen, Charles, or William who would be ready to write off the Sussexes, but royals reporter Camilla Tominey wrote in The Telegraph that a source "close to Camilla" told her that while Palace aides are focused on maintaining the Queen's message that Harry and Meghan will always be "much loved" family members, Camilla is struggling to move on. One source revealed: "I don't think the Duchess will ever forgive Meghan for what she's done to the Prince of Wales."
A Palace insider told Best Life that as Charles' most steadfast and staunch supporter, Camilla has seen "how devastating all of this has been for Charles and she is furious about it. There are many people who believe Camilla will never forgive Meghan and Harry."
Another royal source said, "Camilla has always been fiercely protective of Charles and she is quite upset at Harry and Meghan for causing the Prince of Wales so much pain. She also believes the horribly negative press the prince received as a result of the Sussexes' interviews and public remarks have badly damaged the Prince of Wales' image and negatively impacted public opinion about Charles as the future King."
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Camilla and Charles were champions of Harry and Meghan's and she feels "betrayed" by their actions, an insider said.
From the very beginning, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were strong supporters of Harry and Meghan while some family members, most notably William, were reportedly not convinced Meghan could adapt to life as a royal. But now, a source told Best Life that Camilla feels Harry and Meghan have "betrayed" them.
Around the time of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' wedding in 2018, sources told Best Life, Camilla was intent on taking Meghan under her wing and saw some of herself in the bride-to-be. Another insider said she "got on famously" with Meghan and said both she and Charles "adore" her. The Prince of Wales seemed to show that when he gallantly stepped in at the last minute to walk Meghan halfway down the aisle after her father, Thomas Markle, announced he could not attend the ceremony.
Three days later, Meghan and Camilla's friendship was clearly evident at Charles' 70th birthday garden party where she and Camilla were spotted holding hands.
"Charles and Camilla were tireless champions of Meghan's and in those early days, Harry was grateful for their support," said one insider. "The Duchess of Cornwall is stunned by the couple's total lack of consideration given how close they all once were."
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The Duchess of Cornwall has dealt with her own bad press.
In 1992, Camilla was revealed to be the other woman in Princess Diana and Charles' marriage in Andrew Morton's book Diana: Her True Story. Three years later, Diana confirmed Morton's reporting when she said that there were three people in her marriage, referring to Camilla, in the now infamous 1995 interview with the BBC. After Diana died in 1997, U.K. press deemed Camilla the "most hated women in Britain."
An insider told Best Life, "No one got more negative press than Camilla but, she just got on with it. She felt she could have helped Meghan with the press, but her attempts went nowhere. She also feels Harry's comments about Charles have resurrected painful aspects of the past both she and the prince thought were behind them."
Camilla and Charles finally married in 2005 in a civil ceremony (which the Queen and Prince Philip did not attend) at Windsor Guildhall. Later that day, Charles and Camilla publicly acknowledged their "manifold sinfulness and wickedness" in a prayer at St. George's Chapel at Windsor.
Tominey reported in The Telegraph that those who know Camilla best agree that she never let an avalanche of negative press get to her. One source told the outlet: "She didn't really complain about how she was treated. She would get upset sometimes and wonder how long it would go on for, but she always adopted a very English, Home Counties sort of approach to life."
In the years since, the Duchess of Cornwall has managed to recast her image. She's worked with a host of charities and has been an advocate for women dealing with domestic abuse. As a longtime supporter of campaigns to promote literacy, last year, she formed an online bookclub, The Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room, during the pandemic. Now, Camilla is among the top 10 most popular members of the Royal Family with a higher favorability rating than both Harry and Meghan, according to YouGov's U.K. polling.
She is now a trusted and valuable asset to the Royal Family.
Despite a very rocky start, Camilla is now close to the Queen. In 2017, royal biographer Penny Junor wrote in her book The Duchess: The Untold Story that Camilla felt truly accepted by the Queen after Her Majesty made some touching remarks at her wedding celebration, saying: "They have come through and I'm very proud and wish them well. My son is home and dry with the woman he loves."
Royal insiders agree that Camilla has had a profoundly positive effect on Charles. "She humanizes him," a source told Best Life. "She is very approachable and makes him happy, which comes through when people meet them as a couple. She has never competed with him. She is fully content with her royal role as his supporter." In a 2018 article in Vanity Fair, Juror revealed Charles' sweet comments about his new wife on their wedding day. He toasted his bride saying: "My darling Camilla, who has stood with me through thick and thin and whose precious optimism and humor have seen me through."
A source who knows the couple told Best Life, "They are fiercely loyal to each other. Disloyalty is something they both dislike immensely. And therein lies the problem, Camilla feels Harry has been terribly disloyal to his family, especially towards his father. It's seems unlikely there is much that could change her mind after everything that's happened."
RELATED: The One Promise the Queen Made That Prince Charles Could Break, Sources Say.
Diane Clehane is a New York-based journalist and author of Imagining Diana and Diana: The Secrets of Her Style.
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