In the final episode of Palace Confidential’s special US State Visit miniseries, royal biographer Robert Hardman reveals how King Charles appeared to pointedly leave Prince Harry out of his State Dinner speech in front of President Trump.
The King, who left America for Bermuda today, won glowing headlines on both sides of the Atlantic for his deft handling of the President amid the breakdown of US-UK relations over the Iran war.
One of the highlights of the King’s four-day trip was a speech he delivered at a State Dinner attended by Supreme Court justices, tech titans and government officials at the White House. In it, Charles had Trump roaring with laughter, poking fun at plans to build a new ballroom on the grounds.
One of the highlights of the King’s four-day trip was a speech he delivered at a State Dinner attended by Supreme Court justices, tech titans and government officials at the White House
Hardman explained what he described as a pointed omission aimed at Prince Harry during the speech
The King concluded his address by gifting the President the original bell from HMS Trump, a British submarine that served during the Second World War. Inscribed with ‘Trump 1944,’ the present was regarded as a diplomatic masterstroke, reminding the President of the deep and longstanding military bonds between the two nations.
Speaking to Palace Confidential co-hosts Richard Kay and Richard Eden, Hardman explained what he described as a pointed omission aimed at Prince Harry during the speech.
‘The King had one very nice line,’ the royal biographer began.
‘He said that looking at a map of the US is like looking through a family Christmas card list through history.
‘There’s the Carolinas, there’s Georgia and a personal favourite, Charleston. Then Annapolis. Prince William County and Williamsburg.
‘We were all waiting for him to say Sussex County – and it just didn’t appear. No mention either of Harrisburg, or Markle in Indiana.
Richard Eden suggested that Prince Harry, watching from his home in Montecito, California, must feel a sense of ‘tragedy’ seeing the royal family triumph across America without him
Subscribe to Palace Confidential on YouTube to hear Hardman discuss his recent meeting with President Trump and the final assessment of our royal experts on the King’s US State Visit
‘But then I suppose, neither did Andrews Air Force Base appear.’
Diary Editor Richard Eden suggested that Prince Harry, watching from his home in Montecito, California, must feel a sense of ‘tragedy’ seeing the royal family triumph across America without him.
He said: ‘It is easy to forget actually, that when Harry and Meghan quit Royal duties and moved overseas, Queen Elizabeth was really keen for them to stay involved.
‘If they had not attacked the family and burnt those bridges, this is exactly the sort of occasion they would have been invited to.
‘They would have been involved in this, like our friends, our family, overseas.’
Subscribe to Palace Confidential on YouTube to hear Hardman discuss his recent meeting with President Trump and the final assessment of our royal experts on the King’s US State Visit.
