King Charles ‘saw “tremendous flickers of hope” speaking to Harry and Meghan’,

Hopes of a thaw in the ‘cold war’ between The Firm and the Sussexes emerged last night after royal insiders revealed that King Charles saw ‘tremendous flickers of hope’ when he spoke to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Queen‘s funeral – and even believes he might even be able to salvage the relationship with the duke and duchess.

The King’s conversations with his son and daughter-in-law at the ceremonies for the late monarch at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle left him feeling hopeful that he could mend relations with the Sussex after their acrimonious departure from the royal family.

An insider told The Telegraph: ‘It remains the case that the King loves both of his children.

‘Over the last 16 days or so, there were tremendous flickers of hope. In terms of the future, there is hope of a cause for unity.’

Among the many challenges facing the King in his reign, including modernising Britain’s ancient monarchy, will be how to deal with the duke and duchess, who plunged The Firm into crisis after quitting public duties for a life free from royal obligations in California – from where they have made a string of damaging allegations against the institution. 

In his first address to the nation as monarch, the King appeared to extend an ‘olive branch’ to the couple. However, others believe it was no more than a PR bid for unity in the hours after the Queen’s death. In the run-up to the funeral, Harry was apparently banned from wearing military uniform on the day, and he and Meghan were reportedly uninvited from a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the King for VIPs including foreign royalty, prime ministers and presidents. 

King Charles (bottom left) ‘saw ‘tremendous flickers of hope’ when he spoke to Prince Harry (top left) and Meghan Markle (top right) at the Queen’s funeral and believes he might even be able to mend the relationship’, royal insiders have revealed

The monarch (centre left) held conversations with his son (centre) and daughter-in-law that have left him feeling hopeful as the Royal Family came together to grieve in the wake of the late Queen’s death

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II being carried during the procession on the day of her funeral

The revelation about the King comes as two new bombshell books make a series of astonishing claims about the duke and duchess.

Katie Nicholl’s book, The New Royals claims thye couple had hoped to move into a ‘suite of apartments at Windsor Castle’ but were given Frogmore Cottage instead.

Harry and Meghan reportedly had their hearts set on a home in the heart of the Queen‘s Berkshire residence but were left disappointed.

‘When Harry and Meghan announced their wish to move out of Kensington Palace, the Queen offered them Frogmore Cottage in Windsor Great Park as their new home,’ Nicholl writes, in an extract first published in the Mail On Sunday. 

‘This was not the suite of apartments at Windsor Castle they had hoped for. It was a generous gesture nonetheless, recalled Lady Elizabeth Anson, who died in 2020. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had hoped to move into a ‘suite of apartments at Windsor Castle’ but were given Frogmore Cottage instead, a bombshell book claims. Pictured, the Queen with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly had their hearts set on a home in the heart of the Queen’s Berkshire bolthole but were left disappointed, according to claims published in Katie Nicholl’s book, The New Royals. Pictured, the couple in London last week 

Lady Elizabeth Anson, who was a close friend of the Queen and died in 2020 claimed that the Sussexes hoped for a suite of apartments at the royal residence of Windsor Castle (pictured) following their relocation from Kensington Palace in 2018. But the Queen gifted them Frogmore Cottage

The Queen gifted them Frogmore Cottage (pictured)

”The cottage was a big deal,’ she said. ‘The Queen’s entrance into the gardens is right next to their cottage. 

‘It is essentially her back yard, her solitude, and her privacy. She was giving that up in gifting Harry and Meghan Frogmore Cottage. We all thought it was very big of her. She said, ‘I hope they’ll respect it.”

‘In April 2019, the couple finally moved in. Then, the following month, Buckingham Palace announced a still more significant departure: Harry and Meghan were moving their Royal Household – effectively their office – from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace.’

The move was particularly significant because it signalled the end of Harry and William’s ‘double act’, Nicholl notes, and was ‘deeply disappointing’ for the Queen. 

Elsewhere Nicholl claims the late Queen was surprised that divorcee Meghan opted for a white wedding dress – and also told the Duchess off for chastising a kitchen worker who was preparing her a special meal.

The author said: ‘[Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s] wedding day was a great success, although the Queen had reservations…