King Charles has had a “generally good” 2023 which was however overshadowed by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s various stunts throughout the year, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have in one way or another been dominating headlines since early January when Harry’s memoir, Spare, was released and gave Harry’s account of what it was like being brough up in the Royal Family.
Harry made a series of claims against the Firm and was particularly damning about his brother, Prince William, however, none of the royals have made any comments on it.
Last month, Omid Scobie’s explosive book Endgame was released which caused a huge furore with its sensational claims about the Royal Family, as well as the “accidental” leaking of the names involved in the royal “race row” over Prine Archie’s skin colour. The Daily Express has chosen to not name the two individuals.
But despite Harry’s ongoing distraction, Charles has enjoyed a good year seeing his Coronation back in May as well as handling some “key trips” abroad with “selected activities”.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams exclusively told Express.co.uk that although much of Charles’s year has been “overshadowed” by the activities of Harry and Meghan, the “King has done well”.
He said: “King Charles has had, it is generally felt, a good first year as monarch with well-handled trips abroad and well-selected activities.
“However there is no doubt that much of it has been overshadowed by the activities of the Sussexes. Harry’s highly controversial memoir, Spare and the bizarre leaking of names in Omid Scobie’s Endgame caused a huge furore.
“Harry’s win against the Mirror Group after a court appearance will almost certainly lead to further appearances in court.
“Overall, with the Coronation a huge success and with successful visits to Germany and France and a sensitively handled trip to Kenya, the King has done well, although his speech at COP28 was overshadowed by the controversy over Endgame.”
But the expert stressed that the Sussexes’s “unpredictability” is the biggest challenge for the monarch in the coming year, while he also suggested that there will be no more plans for a “slimmed-down” monarchy going forward.
“He wisely continued the ‘never complain, never explain’ policy the royals adopt when dealing with difficult situations, though the rift with the Sussexes, made worse by their unpredictability, is the biggest challenge for the future.
“We have not heard any more about the ‘slimline monarchy’, with only four working royals under 70, we are not likely to.”
