King did not dine with Harry on night Queen died 'to focus on consoling Britain'

by Hannah Furness

The King did not dine with Prince Harry on the night Queen Elizabeth II died because he needed to have "discreet discussions" with his elder son before being expected to "console the whole country", it has been claimed.

The King, who had dinner with the new Prince of Wales, William, while Harry remained at Balmoral with the rest of the Royal family, needed a "clear head and no distractions", according to a new biography.

READ MORE: Princess Mary becomes Queen of Denmark in historic moment

A member of his staff is quoted as saying: "You have to remember, losing a second parent is a big thing, becoming the senior generation is a big thing and there he was, expected to console the whole country."

Prince Harry has written about his experience at Balmoral in his own memoir, Spare, with the new Charles III biography adding extra context to the decision for the King and Prince of Wales to dine without him.

Both books describe how the Duke of Sussex was met in the Balmoral foyer by his aunt, the Princess Royal, who hugged him and took him to see his grandmother to pay his final respects.

'Charles needed a clear head and no distractions'

Biographer Robert Hardman writes: "Harry then joined the family dinner downstairs. Neither his father nor his brother was there, however. The King and Queen Camilla had, by now, returned to Birkhall, their home on the Balmoral estate.

READ MORE: 'Without Mary, Frederik would not be the King he is today'

"That evening, the couple would be joined for dinner by the new Prince of Wales, who would also stay at Birkhall.

"The King needed to have vital but discreet discussions with his elder son.

"In years gone by, such a moment would automatically have included his younger son, too. But not any more.

"This was clearly not an occasion for an opening up of hearts and minds with Prince Harry, particularly if he was still taking notes for his forthcoming book.

"Charles III needed a clear head and no distractions."

The Duke of Sussex's version, published four months after the Queen's death, did not record an explanation for why he did not see his father or brother until they had all returned to London.

"Hunched against the cold, I hurried into the foyer," he writes in Spare.

"Aunt Anne was there to greet me. I hugged her. 'Where's Pa and Willy? And Camilla?'

"Gone to Birkhall, she said. She asked if I wanted to see Granny. 'Yes… I do."

After spending time with his grandmother in the bedroom he had visited only once before, he relayed how he telephoned Meghan and "walked into the sitting room and ate dinner with most of my family, though still no Pa, Willy or Camilla."

On his solo flight back to England, where he was staying at Frogmore Cottage with his wife, he added: "The quickest way back would've been a lift with Pa or Willy… Barring that it was British Airways, departing Balmoral at daybreak. I bought a seat and was among the first to board."

The book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman, is out in hardback on January 18, published by Macmillan.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2023