In her 70 years on the throne, the Queen rarely let her personal views become public, and her son and grandson now plan to maintain a dignified silence in the face of Prince Harry ’s latest attack.
King Charles and son William will put dignity and duty ahead of any desire to respond, wanting “no negativity” at the heart of the monarchy.
In the finale of Netflix series Harry and Meghan, the Duke of Sussex accused his brother of “shouting and screaming” and his father of lying during private crisis talks before he and wife Meghan quit life as royals.
Palace sources said despite “a great deal of sadness” in the family at the nature of Harry and Meghan’s departure from the Firm, senior royals were “looking forward to 2023”.
Those close to the King and Prince William say they did not watch the series, but relied on aides’ briefings.
Royal insiders believe Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the family could be irreparably damaged after the Duke claimed William bullied them out of the Firm.
Harry told how he did not sign off on a joint statement sent on behalf of him and his brother that criticised reports of the cause of the rift between them, while also accusing Charles’s office of leaking news of his and Meghan’s planned departure.
Courtiers said the royals would continue to offer no response, one source saying: “The preference is to take their charge from the late Queen, to keep calm and carry on.
“The late Queen said it best with her assessment that ‘recollections may vary’ and that is certainly the feeling in the camp.
“The family believe there is far more value in a dignified silence and honouring the Queen’s long-held mantra of duty before everything.
“Those working in the institution are united in having no negativity within the family and everyone is looking ahead to the new year and all supporting each other the best they can.”
The royal family put on a show of unity on Thursday at Westminster Abbey for the “Together at Christmas” charity concert.
And King Charles shook off any hint of a crisis yesterday, delighting guests at a Jewish community event in London when he danced with Anne Frank’s stepsister, Eva Schloss, 93.
At the celebration ahead of Hanukkah, she said: “He was sweet, he really took part, he seemed to enjoy it.”
