TITLES, TANTRUMS & TREACHERY
King Charles struggles to end tensions with his brothers
After seven decades as heir, King Charles III finally inherited the British throne upon his mother’s passing at 96 just last month.
As the new sovereign, the King, 73, instantly echoed his mother’s promise to lifelong service as he remained stoic throughout the Queen’s emotional state funeral. However, as the King takes 10 private days of mourning alongside his wife Queen Consort, Camilla, 75, after impressing the British public, the duo appear to have swiftly lost the support of his siblings Andrew, Prince of York, 62, and Edward, Earl of Wessex, 58.
Palace sources now reveal the trio of brothers are “absolutely divided” as they navigate growing tensions amid managing their own grief and expectations of the crown.
Adding to the “growing hostilities” between Charles and Andrew are new claims that are laid bare in royal commentator Angela Levin’s bombshell biography Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall.
In an updated version of her popular tome, she has revealed that Andrew, who
is said to be “rather nervous” regarding his future under Charles, once secretly plotted with Princess Diana to try to stop his brother from taking the throne. It’s a revelation that’s said to have left Charles seeing red. The embattled Duke of York is claimed to have wanted his nephew Prince William, 40, to accede to the throne when the Queen passed, with Andrew himself acting as regent if this were to happen before William turned 18.
The book also goes on to claim Andrew “lobbied” the Queen to stop Charles from marrying Camilla, claiming she was “untrustworthy”.
Angela even claims that when Princess Diana was alive, “through her friendship with Andrew’s wife Sarah, she plotted with Andrew to try to push Charles aside…”
Angela describes Andrew’s treacherous behaviour as “very negative” and insists the Queen strongly disagreed with her “nasty” wayward son.
The brothers are ‘absolutely divided’… as they grieve
As old wounds fester between Charles and Andrew, insiders reveal Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 57, have new ones.
It’s believed the couple are fuming that Charles is refusing to give the Wessex family a title everyone thinks they deserve. While King Charles automatically inherited the Duke of Edinburgh title when Prince Philip died in 2021, it was expected Edward would inherit his late father’s title.
As the only son of Queen Elizabeth II to lack a duke title, insiders maintain Edward is “desperately hoping” Charles moves swiftly and makes the change – a wish of the late Queen and Philip, who personally promised the dukedom to the couple. But three weeks in and with the official mourning period over, insiders say Charles “very well may not pass on this title to his brother at all”.
“After being promised by Philip himself, Edward and Sophie will be devastated if it doesn’t happen,” says a source.