Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s royal reach out may not signal that their rift with his family is coming to an end. Though the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reached out to both Kate Middleton and King Charles III in the wake of their hospitalizations, royal expert Katie Nicholl tells ET that that’s likely more due to human courtesy than a sign that things are improving between the families.
“We understand that they’ve reached out both to the king and the Princess of Wales. Is that a thawing of relations, or is it just a human courtesy? I think probably the latter,” Nicholl tells ET. “I think it is courtesy more than the sign of any softening of relations, particularly between the couple and Princess Catherine.”
However, Nicholl does believe that “there will be a dialogue between Harry and his father” in the coming weeks, as Charles recovers from his prostate procedure.
“Whatever has happened, the king loves his son. We know that there were calls at the end of last year, around the time of the king’s birthday,” she says. “Whatever’s happened between them, Harry will be concerned for his father. It’s still his father. He’s still gone in for an operation. Yes, a pretty standard one, but a procedure nonetheless. One wonders if this might just be the opening that’s needed for a bit more dialogue between the couple and the king, and possibly even Princess Catherine.”
As for how Kate and Charles are doing amid their hospitalizations, Nicholl says of the former, “We’ve really heard very, very little other than that she’s recovering and she’s recuperating.”
“We know that Prince William has been to see her. We understand that she’s been FaceTiming with her children,” Nicholl says of Kate, who underwent abdominal surgery earlier this month. “We were given guidance that her hospital stay would be anything between 10 and 14 days. That is a lengthy stay. It suggests a pretty serious operation, and some pretty lengthy recovery time.”
Meanwhile, Charles was treated for an enlarged prostate on Friday, before which he and his wife, Queen Camilla, paid a visit to their daughter-in-law.
“I think this is just a sign of the times. This is a modern monarchy… doing the sorts of things that other families do… It’s extraordinary to have two senior members of the royal family not just in hospital at the same time, but at the same hospital,” Nicholl says. “…. I think that’s again an indication of the sort of normality that exists behind palace walls and behind those closed doors, that sort of insight into a family that we don’t necessarily see, but does exist, and and is indicative of a very, very close family.”
“The king is hugely fond of Princess Kate. He thinks she’s a wonderful mother. They share a very, very close bond, as do the queen and Catherine,” she adds. “… Royal or not, I think everyone’s apprehensive and often a little bit nervous before going under a procedure like this, and so probably seeing Catherine was the highlight of his day today.”
After Charles’ visit with Kate, he underwent his procedure, which “has gone well,” according to Nicholl.
“I suspect, knowing the king and his fitness regime — he’s [an] incredibly healthy, fit, robust 75-year-old — that he won’t be in hospital for very long,” she says. “I think a couple of days at most.”
When it comes to why Charles has been open about suffering from an enlarged prostate, Nicholl explains, “I think the king has been very keen to encourage other men to come forward, not to be shy about getting checked out.”
“It’s benign, and a simple procedure should have everything fixed very quickly. I think probably because of that, and because this is a very common condition in men his age, the king decided to do something which is uncommon when it comes to members of the royal family and go public with it,” she says. “That’s had an overwhelmingly positive response… He may have royal blood coursing through his veins, but this is a great leveler. He suffers from a condition affecting many, many men.”
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