A smiling William and Kate and a chuckling King Charles today carried out their first public engagements since Prince Harry lobbed a string of ‘truth bombs’ at the Royal Family and plunged the House of Windsor into its worst crisis in decades with his incendiary tell-all Spare.
The Prince and Princess of Wales – who are at the very centre of the acrimonious row with the Sussexes that sparked Megxit – were greeted with a huge cheer from royal fans as they arrived in Liverpool to open a new hospital.
Across the border, the King petted dogs and also spoke to charity workers at the Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Aberdeenshire, where he is visiting a foodbank and local charities. Charles petted dogs and spoke to charity workers – and was seen even joking with them – as he thanked them for coming and said: ‘I hope you don’t get too cold’.
One woman in the crowd outside, who was from Down Under, was told by the King: ‘Send my love to Australia’.
William has been at the centre of attacks by his younger sibling, who even claimed in Spare that the heir to the throne attacked him and hurled him to the floor by the collar in a blazing row when William called Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’.
And in Harry’s interviews with US and UK broadcasters he continued to hammer his older brother for his role in Megxit, which is said to have left William seething.
The Princess of Wales smiling and waving as she arrives in Liverpool, Merseyside
The Prince and Princess of Wales wave to crowds on their first engagement since Harry’s book hit the shelves
King Charles visits the Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed, on his first engagement since the book release
But he showed no sign of that anger as he chatted happily with the Princess of Wales as they exited the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The Prince and Princess of Wales then visited the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital, which opened its doors in October 2022, replacing the old hospital which had served the community for over four decades.
During the visit, The Prince and Princess will visit a ward to see the hospital’s new facilities. They will meet with staff who have been working at the hospital during the busy winter period, including support staff and mental health first aiders to thank them for their service. In attendance will also be some of the critical care team His Royal Highness met on a video call in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Harry’s controversial autobiography, Spare, has become the fastest selling non-fiction book in history, according to publisher Penguin Random House, which reported more than 1.4million copies were sold on Tuesday, the first day it went on sale.
Reports of a fractious friendship between Meghan and Kate were confirmed in Spare, with Harry recounting how the princess, pregnant at the time with Prince Louis, said she was owed an apology from his wife who had previously commented Kate was suffering from ‘baby brain’ due to her ‘hormones’.
He shed further light on the row over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress claiming, contrary to reports at the time, Kate was not in tears but the incident had left Meghan ‘sobbing on the floor’.
During a series of interviews to promote Spare, Harry defended himself against strong criticism, following his revelation in the book he killed 25 Taliban members during the Afghanistan war.
He denied boasting about the killings, when interviewed by Stephen Colbert on CBS’s The Late Show, and claimed members of his family are in an active campaign to ‘undermine’ his autobiography.
The monarch laughs as he speaks to a well-wisher in Aberdeenshire
His Majesty cracks a joke as he signs the visitors’ book
During his visit, the King toured the new facilities at the local community space as well as meeting with support groups. The engagement takes place 2 days after the official release of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex’s book ‘Spare’
King Charles III is greeted at Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed
The Princess of Wales was also seen chatting happily as they went out this morning
A grinning Prince William shook off his brother’s barbs as he left Windsor with his Kate today.
A YouGov poll has found the popularity of Harry has fallen since his book was published with 68 per cent of 1,691 adults, polled on Tuesday and Wednesday, having a negative opinion about him while 24 per cent thought positively.
The online research data group said the figures meant the duke had his lowest ever net favourability rating of minus 44, down from minus 38 last week, which had been his previous record low.
The Duke of Sussex’s words have sparked headlines for days due to claims he killed 25 Taliban members and took illegal drugs.
During the King’s Scottish engagement, was greeted by Lord Lieutenant Sandy Manson before being given a tour of the Aboyne and Mid-Deeside Community Shed’s ground floor.
During his visit to the home to the Aboyne Men’s Shed workshop, Charles watched craft skills in action, including wood and stone carving, and meet the men who gather there weekly.
He is also expected to meet representatives from other charities and voluntary groups, including the Inverurie-based Aberdeenshire North Foodbank, Gordon Rural Action and Young at Heart Deeside.
Speaking about the record sales, president and publisher of the Random House Group Gina Centrello said: ‘While many books by public figures can be fairly categorized as ‘celebrity memoir,’ Spare is not that.
‘Vulnerable and heartfelt, brave and intimate, Spare is the story of someone we may have thought we already knew, but now we can truly come to understand Prince Harry through his own words.
‘Looking at these extraordinary first day sales, readers clearly agree, Spare is a book that demands to be read, and it is a book we are proud to publish.’
Charles will travel to Aberdeenshire this morning to visit a foodbank and local charities after more than a week of barbs from his son during a PR blitz for his new book (pictured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday)
According to the publisher, the English language edition of Spare sold more than 1.4 million units in all formats and editions in the United States, Canada and the UK on January 10 when it first hit bookshop shelves
It was reported overnight that Harry will not be welcome at his father’s coronation in May in light of the barrage of criticism levelled against his family in his new book.
Senior royals have baulked at the thought of spending time with him at the historical event in case their conversations ‘end up in the paperback’ edition of his memoir, The Sun reported.
It is unclear whether Charles will invite his younger son to the Coronation, or whether Prince Harry would accept.
The Duke of Sussex launched an attempted charm offensive this week, appearing on US talkback shows mocking royal protocol to promote his bestselling memoir, Spare.
But he has dodged whether he will attend the Coronation of his father. In the publicity blitz for Spare, the Duke of Sussex told Tom Bradby that ‘a lot can happen between now and then’ when asked if he will go to see his father crowned in May.
One source claimed this week that: ‘The family expects Harry and Meghan to find a reason not to be there’.
