THE PRICKLY PRINCES

The relationship between Charles and his sons hasn’t been easy by any measure, although things seem to be improving as time goes by.

Things took a particularly frosty turn last year when William and Harry took part in an ITV documentary to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their mother’s passing.

Charles wasn’t part of the proceedings and wasn’t mentioned once in the documentary, Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy. “It was as if he’d never existed,” a friend of his says.

His sons are reportedly just as “moody” as their late mother – something that apparently often catches Charles offguard, royal reporter Robert Jobson says.

They blame him for not being around enough when they were kids and were unsurprisingly unhappy about his marriage to Camilla.

But their feelings towards the Duchess of Cornwall have since thawed and there’s no doubt they have deep affection for their father.

Charles has done “an amazing job” teaching them about their roles in the monarchy, Harry says.

His relationship with his father has greatly improved thanks to his wife of six months. Charles is reportedly enchanted by Meghan (37) and the feeling is mutual.

“When Meghan met the Prince of Wales, she was bowled over by his gentlemanly charm,” an insider says. “She told Prince Harry he was wonderful – welcoming, warm, hard-working, kind and stable. She made it clear he should appreciate him and bond more.”

Not only did Charles pay for the lavish wedding of his youngest son, he walked Meghan down the aisle after she’d become estranged from her father, Thomas Markle (74).

Charles was reportedly “tickled pink” when Meghan and Harry spent a week in summer with him in the Castle of Mey, the late queen mother’s home in Caithness on Scotland’s north coast. The three went on nature excursions together and spent time bird-watching.

‘He’s the fittest man I know, but equally I want him to be fit until he’s 95, going on’