King Charles just made his first massive mistake – now Prince Harry has the victim card.TA
The Palace meant to draw a hard line around Harry, but it feels like petty revenge.
In August 1265, Simon de Montfort, rebel against the Crown, had his particulars cut off by royal assassins at the Battle of Evesham. The mutilation did not stop there. His killers, keen to send a message to anyone who would threaten King Henry III’s rule, decapitated de Montfort, hung his whatsits on either side of his nose and, finally, hacked off his hands and feet for good measure. These trophies were sent to enemies across the land as a warning: if you come for the King, you’d better not miss. But their message backfired.
Their brutality turned de Montfort from an executed traitor into a martyr, a “Father of Democracy” and a folk hero. His legacy was so strong, in fact, that the future King Edward I adopted de Montfort’s Parliamentary reforms. The Crown won the battle, but de Montfort won the war. Fast forward to today, and King Charles III risks winning a battle with Prince Harry but losing the public relations war.
By refusing Harry access to Buckingham Palace for his UK visit, the King has made himself look petty and vengeful. The Palace claims deadlines were missed, making logistics too difficult, but the public aren’t buying it. All they can see is a father slamming the door on his estranged son.
Prince Harry has won the victim card – King Charles is in trouble (Image: Getty Images/Express)
New YouGov polling released today reveals that the British public is firmly on Harry’s side. A sizeable 48% of Brits believe Harry should be allowed to stay at Buckingham Palace during his visit, while 27% say he should be barred.
Even with all the family drama, the memoirs and the mudslinging, the British people still expect King Charles to show clemency to his unruly son. They want him to act like a statesman, not an angry, bureaucratic landlord.
Palace insiders can complain all they like about logistics and weariness around Harry’s High Court battles, but by locking him out of Buckingham Palace they’ve handed him the victim card.
If the King and his team don’t U-turn on their decision and act with more grace, they risk turning the Duke of Sussex into a martyr. And as history shows us, that would be a disaster for the Crown.
