Ailing King Charles’ historic decision to step down — coupled with Prince Harry’s return to the royal family — has sparked a nasty battle between Queen Camilla and Princess Kate, sources tell Globe.
Camilla has gone nuclear over the fact that Kate is helping Harry worm his way back into the good graces of his softhearted father, King Charles III, courtiers say.
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Behind the scenes, sympathetic Kate, 43, has been defending the honor of her brother-in-law, Harry, who left palace duties behind in 2020 with his American wife, former Suits actress Meghan, to chase moneymaking deals in Hollywood, according to insiders.
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Sources say the Princess of Wales is pushing her husband, heir to the throne Prince William, and others in the palace to forge a path toward peace with the California-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex — despite the pair’s bridge-burning interviews bashing Britain’s royal family and Harry’s scathing memoir, Spare.
That’s why, insiders confide, Kate was discreetly overjoyed when the cancer-stricken king, 77, had a nearly hour-long private tea with Harry, 41, in September at the monarch’s London residence, Clarence House.
The meeting was the first between the father and son in 19 months, suggesting that their reportedly icy relationship is finally thawing.
However, an insider says, “Camilla wants nothing to do with Harry. She’s revolted by the soft stance Charles is taking at the moment and fully supports William’s zero-tolerance, no-forgiveness policy.”
“She’s astounded that Kate continues to stick up for him. But Kate couldn’t care less what Camilla thinks. Kate considers herself to be the queen now, even though Charles hasn’t stepped down yet. That really gets Camilla steaming. She’s not about to be pushed to the side and give back the crown jewels.”
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According to the insider, 78-year-old Camilla “truly considers Harry to be dangerous.” She fears he’ll once again turn on the royals and doesn’t understand why anyone in the family would give him more information for another “horrific tell-all.”
Recently, the source shares, the conflict between the queen and the princess came to a head.
“Camilla and Kate had a poisonous showdown at the palace, and Camilla told Kate flat-out that she’s being naive and reckless — not to mention disloyal toward her husband by refusing to respect his wishes,” the insider says.
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“It got nasty. Kate’s been very patient and biting her tongue for much of this year over Camilla’s bad attitude toward her, but this Harry situation is making things a hundred times more tense.”
With Harry expected to again visit the U.K., the insider says Camilla is “dreading” the prospect of coming face to face with the man who painted her as a backbiting bully in his book.
“The king wants Camilla to put this aside and at least pop in and say hello to Harry when he’s over, which she’ll likely honor, but it’ll be through gritted teeth,” the insider says. “What really irks her is that these ongoing peace talks shouldn’t be happening at all — and they wouldn’t be if Kate hadn’t butted in to engineer this path for Harry to get back in touch with his father again.”
However, the insider points out that Camilla has never been the type to hide her feelings and put on a fake show of friendliness — “especially not with someone who’s inflicted so much stress and suffering on the people she loves.”
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Meanwhile, the source reports that Kate continues to talk to and text Harry. Camilla is “livid” because she feels insulted as she believes Kate continuously goes over her head to privately discuss the duke with the king.
The insider says Kate is also firing back at Camilla by insisting the queen needs to drop the hostility and stop lecturing her — and Charles is at his wit’s end over constantly seeing the women quarrel.
Yet, the source says, stubborn Camilla believes the time for redemption is long gone. “Harry has proved himself to be a truly deplorable, wretched character who doesn’t deserve any more chances. Even if he and Meghan were to divorce, it’s safe to say Camilla would still hold a grudge toward him. She’s not about to forgive and forget.”
This story Queen Camilla ‘Astounded’ By Princess Kate’s Stance on Prince Harry, Palace Showdown ‘Got Nasty’ first appeared on Globe. Add Globe as a Preferred Source by clicking here.