

When it comes to the royal family’s response to the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the silence is deafening—and perhaps no one’s silence is felt more so than King Charles. The king hasn’t spoken back against any of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s claims in their show, including Harry’s claim that his father said things that “just simply weren’t true” as his grandmother the Queen looked on during a family meeting at Sandringham in early 2020.
According to historian David Starkey, per The Mirror, the monarch is playing a “clever long game” with Harry and Meghan, including not mentioning at all his younger son and his wife during his first-ever Christmas Day speech this week, “just letting events take their course,” Starkey says.
“I don’t think they matter much—look at the opinion polls today,” he says about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. “I mean, a near majority of people not only say they don’t much like them, but they actually want them stripped of their titles. With every passing day, I think with every desperate attempt at taking a little molehill of grievance and trying to turn it into a vast, vast Himalayas of resentment, they become less relevant. What I think Charles is doing is actually playing a rather clever long game. He’s just letting events take their course, which I think is a very wise thing to do.”
As we enter in 2023 tomorrow, Charles’ coronation on May 6 is looming—but, in the much closer future, Harry’s memoir, Spare, will be released on January 10, with its contents almost wholly unknown to the royal family and the rest of the public.
Charles’ tactic against Harry and Meghan’s outspokenness does seem to be complete silence on the matter, including in his Christmas Day address, where he discussed his parents, Her late Majesty and Prince Philip, and mentioned the Prince and Princess of Wales (his older son, Prince William, and his wife, Catherine), but left out Harry and Meghan entirely.
To Grant Harrold—a former royal butler who worked at Charles’ Highgrove estate for seven years—that decision “made sense” and was a “sensible move,” according to The Mirror. Whether Charles will keep his silence after the release of Spare likely depends on what’s in the memoir, which we won’t have to wait very long to find out.
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
One of King Charles’ Siblings Was Adamant That Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Be Evicted from Frogmore Cottage
Meanwhile, another sibling was “uneasy” about the decision.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Despite the Royal Family’s Disdain for Princess Diana When She Was Alive, It Regularly Pushed Both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle to Dress Like Her, New Book Claims
“During the past 13 years, Diana cosplay has become a royal staple.”
By Rachel Burchfield
-
King Charles Employs 28 Personal Household Staff Members That Have to Do Some Really Weird Job Duties
Talk about “other duties as assigned.”
By Rachel Burchfield
-
One of King Charles’ Siblings Was Adamant That Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Be Evicted from Frogmore Cottage
Meanwhile, another sibling was “uneasy” about the decision.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Despite the Royal Family’s Disdain for Princess Diana When She Was Alive, It Regularly Pushed Both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle to Dress Like Her, New Book Claims
“During the past 13 years, Diana cosplay has become a royal staple.”
By Rachel Burchfield
-
If You Want to Work for the Prince and Princess of Wales, You Have To Pass a Truly Bizarre Test First
We, um, were not expecting this.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
King Charles Had Just Two Frosty Words for Son Prince Harry After the Release of the Netflix Docuseries ‘Harry & Meghan’
The King’s composure surrounding his younger son allegedly broke for a moment.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
The Royal Family Needn’t Worry: 'Spare' Volume II Won't Happen, Omid Scobie Says
Prince Harry has previously said he could write a whole other book with content left on the cutting room floor.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Meghan Markle Became the “Star of the Show” When She Married Into the Royal Family, Omid Scobie Writes
She was “Princess Diana all over again,” the newly released 'Endgame' reads.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Prince William is Jealous of Prince Harry’s Ability to “Break Away” from the Royal Establishment, Omid Scobie Writes
“It’s easy to see why William’s fury is bubbling to the top.”
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Prince William and Prince Harry Will Probably Only See One Another for One Occasion Henceforth
And it’s not an occasion anyone relishes.
By Rachel Burchfield