The King offers ‘more compassion’ to Harry and Meghan to avoid mistakes made with Duke of Windsor, claims ANDREW LOWNIE – as Charles navigates ‘difficult position’ following Sussexes UK return.
While the relationship between the Sussexes and Royal Family is fraught with controversy, King Charles has publicly taken a more compassionate approach towards Prince Harry and Meghan Markle since their royal exit in 2020.
The monarch has seemingly always been open to reconciliation with his youngest and in July hosted the Sussexes and their children at Highgrove House for the afternoon.
Described as a ‘private family occasion’ by the Palace, it marked the first time the King had seen his grandchildren Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, in person for more than four years.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, royal historian and author Andrew Lownie said the King offers ‘more compassionate treatment’ because he wants to avoid any mistakes that were made in the past, particularly in the case of the Duke of Windsor.
The Duke, formerly King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in December 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson – a move which directly clashed with his responsibilities as head of the Church of England and sparked a constitutional crisis.
When Edward gave up the throne, his brother, who took on the regnal name King George VI, was said to have felt strongly that the couple could not return to the UK.
According to Mr Lownie, Charles is conscious of ensuring that Harry and Meghan are not outcast from the Royal Family in the same manner – especially given that the Duke and Duchess are now said to be fostering a relationship with the monarch.
Meghan and Harry revealed they would be returning to the UK the month after the meeting, six years on from relocating to the US.
But whilst Charles publicly made it clear that they remain ‘private citizens’, the King once again showed his softer side when reportedly stepping in to help his son manage difficulties surrounding the Invictus Games earlier this month.
Initially, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Adviser for Special Operations announced on X that he was pulling his country’s entry to the Paralympic-style event for military personnel over the ongoing ‘Harry-Meghan nonsense’ following the couple’s bombshell return to the UK.
But in a show of support for his son’s charity, the monarch’s right-hand man Private Secretary Sir Clive Alderton discreetly called General Muhoozi Kainerugaba to smooth over relations – and Uganda was soon allowed to return to the games.
Edward VIII’s reign, which started on January 20, ended in 325 days – making him one of the shortest-reigning British monarchs to date.
‘The Sussexes… have put the Royal Family in a difficult position,’ Mr Lownie, writer of best-selling book Entitled: The Rise And Fall Of The House Of York, told the Daily Mail.
‘If they appear too unwelcoming they will be characterised as ill feeling – as happened with the Duke of Windsor.’
Mr Lownie noted that if Charles comes as across as ‘too conciliatory’, then he also risks being ‘perceived as giving in to the Sussexes’.
The events that followed after Edward’s abdication saw any possibility of his return to the UK fiercely rejected by the monarchy, government and nation.
‘He (King George VI) knew allowing the Windsor’s to return would invite endless headlines about their showboating, their parties and their politics: that toxic sideshow would make his own role impossible,’ according to royal expert Christopher Wilson.
In October 1937, just 10 months after Edward announced he was stepping down from the throne, Edward and Wallis caused further consternation with the Royal Family when they travelled to Nazi Germany and visited Hitler.
Edward and Wallis married in France at the opulent Chateau de Cande, which was owned by pro-Nazi businessman Charles Bedaux.
He had agreed to let them use the venue on the agreement that the couple would visit Nazi Germany, where Bedaux had business interests.