King Charles’ heartbreaking plea to Prince William and Harry about ‘final years’ after Prince Philip’s funeral

It's been alleged that King Charles urged his sons to reconcile in a meeting after the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in April 2021...

King Charles' heartbreaking plea; seen here alongside Prince William and Prince Harry
(Image credit: Future// Image 1: Photo by Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images// Image 2: Photo by Kirsty O'Connor - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

It's been claimed that in his upcoming memoir, Spare, Prince Harry alleged that King Charles made a heartbreaking plea to his sons about his "final years". 


For many months now Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, has been surrounded by speculation as fans anticipate what could lie in store when it’s released on January 10. This publication date comes just a day after Kate Middleton’s birthday and it’s been claimed that Prince Harry’s book could target Prince William and Kate most. Ahead of the release, The Guardian has claimed to have obtained a copy of Spare "amid stringent pre-launch security" surrounding it

No official copies have been released yet and so it's not currently clear exactly how accurate the reports are. Though it's been alleged that Prince Harry claims in the book that King Charles made a heartbreaking plea to his sons about his “final years” after Prince Philip’s funeral.  

Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Earl of Snowdon David Armstrong-Jones and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence follow Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's coffin

(Image credit: Photo by Alastair Grant/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

According to the publication, Prince Harry’s memoir has alleged that a conversation took place after the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. This difficult time saw the Duke of Sussex fly back to the UK from his and Meghan Markle’s Santa Barbara Mansion to join the Royal Family in mourning.

It was his first trip back since Prince Harry and Meghan “stepped back” as senior royals and also since their shocking Oprah Winfrey interview aired. Prince Harry has reportedly alleged that after the service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle there was a meeting between him, King Charles, and Prince William. 

Prince Harry is said to have claimed in the book that the King apparently stood between his sons “looking up at our flushed faces”. 

“Please, boys,” he alleged his father said. “Don’t make my final years a misery.”

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

(Image credit: Photo by Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)

King Charles’ reported plea to his sons is heart-wrenching and suggests it would bring him huge joy to see Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship heal and grow close once again. The bond between the brothers has been under intense scrutiny for some time, with Prince Harry describing them as being on “different paths”. 

He later told Oprah Winfrey that their relationship was one of “space” at that time and expressed his belief that both his father and his brother were “trapped” in the institution. Though Prince Harry also said that “time heals all things, hopefully” in the same shocking special. 

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge during the unveiling of a statue of Princess Diana

(Image credit: Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Since then they have only reunited in person a handful of times, most recently at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. The Sussexes didn’t celebrate Christmas with the Wales family, King and Queen Consort in 2022. And the next major royal occasion coming up is King Charles’ coronation day which falls on their son Archie’s birthday in May. 

In December 2021 The Telegraph reported that Prince Harry and Meghan will receive an invite, with a source claiming, “All members of the family will be welcome”. Many fans will likely be hoping that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do attend the King's coronation alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales, perhaps giving a sense of the brotherly unity that His Majesty is alleged to have urged for.  

Emma Shacklock

Emma is a Royal Editor with eight years experience working in publishing. Her specialist areas include the British Royal Family, ranging from protocol to outfits. Alongside putting her royal knowledge to good use, Emma knows all there is to know about the latest TV shows on the BBC, ITV and more. When she’s not writing about the next unmissable show to add to your to-watch list or delving into royal protocol, Emma enjoys cooking, long walks and watching yet more crime dramas!