Why King Charles Refused To Attend A Party With Anne And Edward Just Before His Birthday
King Charles III can be short-tempered. The king's accession council was almost overshadowed by his tantrum over a pen, after all. And the new king is not as beloved as his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
In October, the Mirror reported that a poll showed Prince William as the favorite royal for 69% of respondents. His wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, received 67% of the votes. Princess Anne came in third, with 64% voting the princess royal as their favorite. Charles got fourth place, with 54% voting for the new monarch.
The 74-year-old king has made some mistakes. The media slammed him for creating a crisis about Prince Harry's uniform at the queen's funeral, and Charles is taking his sweet time deciding on Archie and Lilibet's royal titles.
Yahoo News! royal editor Omid Scobie warned that the king is in a "sink or swim moment." Scobie wrote, "For if he drowns, it won't just be him who disappears to the bottom — he'll be bringing the entire monarchy down with him." No pressure.
One big challenge for Charles is the "Andrew problem," as the queen didn't give her second son many guardrails. The disgraced prince made headlines this week, with Charles refusing to attend a party with Anne and Edward.
King Charles was 'displeased' by Anne and Edward's support of Andrew
King Charles III was "displeased" that his disgraced brother Prince Andrew was seen at a shooting party near Windsor over the Nov. 19 weekend. A source told the Daily Mail, "King Charles was said to be displeased that Edward and Anne had been publicly meeting up with Andrew and wanted it made clear that he had not been part of the shoot."
The royal insider added, "Charles's view is that he should not be in the public eye. His Majesty was not thrilled at all." The Mail reported that Princess Anne and Prince Edward wanted a "show of support for the embattled Duke of York."
The new king can be fussy, but Charles is spot-on about the shooting party weekend. Anne and Edward need to read the room. In October, the Daily Mail reported that Andrew, Duke of York, was the least popular senior royal. Newsweek reported a June poll showing that 83% of British people oppose Andrew's return to public life.
Queen Elizabeth was blasted when she gave Andrew a starring role in a March 2022 memorial for Prince Philip. According to Newsweek, pundits called the queen's decision "gobsmacking." The new king has been brutally honest with his brother, and one meeting allegedly left Andrew in tears.
Supporting your sibling is a kind gesture. But Anne and Edward should show their support for their disgraced brother (who settled a sexual abuse case) privately.
He understands the harm Andrew can do to royals
Princess Anne and Prince Edward feel a little sorry for Prince Andrew, but King Charles III takes a hard line about his younger brother returning to official royal life. That's because King Charles knows Andrew's poor judgment can harm the royal family brand. According to The Cut, the Duke of York was able to sweet-talk Queen Elizabeth to get his way, but Andrew's tears do not sway the king (or Prince William).
While big brother Charles gives Andrew tough love, he might need to get harsher. The Sun reported that the Duke of York made a secret trip to Bahrain last week. An inside source told The Sun that Andrew was "close to the Bahraini Royal Family for many years and has always enjoyed his trips to Bahrain."
According to The Guardian, Amnesty International reported that the Bahraini government had "serious human rights violations" that included "torture ... as well as suppression of freedom of expression and assembly." Since Charles is trying to hold the Commonwealth together, Andrew's trip is not good news.
Royal sources told LBC that the 62-year-old prince "fancies his chances" of getting another shot as British trade envoy. The BBC reported that Andrew was forced to resign in 2011 or face getting fired.
How does Charles solve the Andrew problem? We'll keep you posted about the king's reaction to the trip.