The fallout with Harry and Meghan has only made the question more urgent. The impact of Charles’s arrested development is plain to see. The prince has lacked authority even over his own household.
At one stage Charles was closer to Harry, his more highly strung son, while William chafed impatiently at his father’s foibles. Now the tables have turned and the two future monarchs are said to have closed ranks against the demanding Sussexes. The fact is they could all do with a break from the stifling constraints of family, but they are stuck on the same royal merry-go-round. You either stay on or fall off, but it’s hard to move forward.
An unofficial palace coup failed three years ago when Lord Geidt left the Queen’s service and Edward Young took over as her private secretary. Charles had hoped to bring the Queen into his own orbit at Clarence House. The result has been an uneasy compromise, with neither the son nor his mother exercising full authority. The Queen had increasingly delegated family matters, previously the domain of Prince Philip, now a frail 98, to Charles. But when Megxit struck, the cry went out: send for Her Majesty! Harry wanted to broker his deal directly with Granny, not Papa. Because who, after all, has the ultimate power?
The brooding Charles, it is said, is given to introspection. Being the longest-serving king-in-waiting in British history doesn’t help (even the playboy prince, Edward VII, took the throne at 59). His main preoccupation is with securing his own succession, and that of Camilla as queen. In this respect, the behaviour of Harry and Andrew is an irritant he could well do without. With each passing scandal, admiration for the Queen increases — and respect for the monarchy dwindles.