The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, with King Charles III. Picture: Twitter
In this week’s royal update, we look at how King Charles III and his sons Prince Harry and Prince William defended Kate Middleton against Donald Trump, Charles’ first meeting with Meghan Markle and The Crown’s cast insists fans should give the new season a chance.
Just a year after Prince William and Kate Middleton got married in 2012, the couple went on a vacation where the Princess of Wales was photographed by paparazzi topless.
The photo caused a furore amongst the royal family and the British public who viewed the photograph as a massive invasion of privacy, reminiscent of the late Princess Diana.
It has now been revealed that William’s father King Charles III was equally mad, more so at former US President Donald Trump for making a mockery of the whole scandal.
Trump tweeted in 2012 saying Middleton “only had herself to blame. Who wouldn’t want to take Kate’s picture and make lots of money if she sunbathed nude, come on Kate.”
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This story is detailed in Christopher Andersen’s upcoming memoir The King: The life of Charles III. The author will give a behind-the-scenes look at how mad the King was including his sons, who would spew “torrent profanity” aimed at Trump for his comments, Daily Mail reported.
Charles was also furious when Trump claimed he could have “nailed Diana”, if he had wanted. The men also didn’t want Trump to visit Buckingham Palace in 2017 when he was president, as they tried to block his visit despite it being a traditional visit by all US presidents before him.
Andersen’s memoir continues to make surprising claims. Anderson writes in the King Charles biography that the king was unaware that Meghan Markle was biracial, Bang Showbiz reported.
Recounting their first meeting, Prince Harry introduced his father and stepmother Queen Countess Camilla Parker Bowls, but Harry didn’t inform them what race she was.
Reportedly telling an American friend, Charles said: “Not that it would matter at all, of course. I didn’t realise that until later.”
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Anderson said Charles found Markle “to be charming” and delightful. The book will reportedly tackle the issue of racism within the royal family.
Dominic West, who plays the now King Charles in the new series of The Crown, on Tuesday, said he hoped the Netflix hit would give viewers “perspective” on the monarch despite the furore over inaccurate depictions of the family.
The Wire star West, 53, plays Charles during a tumultuous period in the then prince’s life, covering his affair with Camilla – now his wife – and his divorce from Princess Diana.
Before the show’s stars gathered in London for the world premiere of its fifth season, West said he hoped the public would give Charles the “benefit of the doubt” after watching the latest instalment.
But he acknowledged the show would tackle sensitive issues, and “covers a time when he had bad press”.
“It was a divorce and there are always two sides in a divorce. I suppose viewers heard one or the other,” he said during a news conference.
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“And hopefully there’s a bit of perspective now and I hope everyone gets a fair hearing.
“I obviously love the guy and… inevitably, you take their side or you give them the benefit of the doubt and I hope that will maybe happen.”
According to reports, the next series will deal with the death of Diana in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Oscar-winning actor Judi Dench blasted Netflix for “crude sensationalism” after reports of scenes showing Charles lobbying then prime minister John Major to force the abdication of his mother, played this series by Imelda Staunton.
Major himself called the storyline a “barrel-load of nonsense”.
*Additional reporting by AFP
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