With King Charles III and Prince Harry, often, things are not what they seem.
Some gestures from the royals sometimes appear kind and magnanimous, but after digging under the surface, they are revealed to be petty and brutal chess moves on the endless quest to win the PR war.
Last week, King Charles took the media and royal observers by surprise when he issued a marvelously-worded statement announcing the Dukedom of Edinburgh.
King Charles bestowed the prestigious title to his brother, Prince Edward, to mark his 59th birthday. Prince Edward’s wife also got her title upgraded, and she became Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
Many were baffled by the move because King Charles, who had promised to have a slimmed-down monarchy and had decided to bestow the title to Kate Middleton and Prince William‘s daughter, Princess Charlotte of Wales.
It was a nasty move because Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, promised Prince Edward the dukedom over two decades ago.
His Majesty‘s sudden reversal to gift Prince Edward with the title occurred hours after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their children’s titles.
Prince Harry and his wife grew tired of Buckingham Palace’s dithering with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet‘s birthrights, so they took the bull by the horns and made the announcement.
According to a royal expert, King Charles was disturbed and caught off guard by Prince Harry and Markle’s move and was forced to react and show he was still in control.
However, in reality, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “forced the hand of King Charles over the issue of the Dukedom of Edinburgh,” a royal commentator has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex more or less shamed His Majesty into being gracious and keeping the promise he made to his parents.
The Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden said on the Palace Confidential program that King Charles had no choice but to give his brother what was rightfully his after Markle and Prince Harry trapped him.
The expert shared: “But then when Harry and Meghan started using the Prince and Princess titles for their children, it became clear this wasn’t going to happen, and then King Charles could hardly justify not giving Prince Edward the title he’d been promised by their parents. It was a big deal, and I really think that was behind it.”
His Majesty made sure there was great fanfare with an official statement revealing the major update on the Dukedom of Edinburgh that read: “His Majesty The King has been pleased to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of His Royal Highness’s 59th birthday. The title will be held by Prince Edward for His Royal Highness’s lifetime.”
He went on to say: “The Dukedom was last created for Prince Philip in 1947, upon his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding to the throne in 1952. The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are proud to continue Prince Philip’s legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential.”
The Sussexes are still hesitating to go to King Charles’s coronation in May.
