King Charles was reportedly left "crushed" by son Prince Harry, a pair of royal authors have revealed.
The Duke of Sussex allegedly gave his father just 20 minutes notice before he made the relationship with Meghan Markle public, reports the Mirror.
The new King, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, had been preparing to meet the King of Bahrain in November 2016, during a tentative tour of the Persian Gulf sovereign state.
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According to royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who are believed to be close with Meghan and Harry, the King had been organising the tour for months.
They noted that he hoped it would be "covered significantly" by the media.
However, Charles was "reportedly" crushed when the pair confirmed their relationship to the public, and also launched an attack on the media.
The then-Prince of Wales felt that the announcement would dominate the media, and overshadow his plans.
The authors claimed the Duke of Sussex gave Charles just 20 minutes' notice before releasing a statement confirming his relationship with Meghan.
In Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, it read: "It was a critical moment that had been in the works for months.
"A statement from Kensington Palace condemning the Press and, in the same breath, confirming Harry’s new girlfriend would all but eliminate coverage of Prince Charles's tour of the Gulf."
Royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim: "The team at Clarence House, which had spent months putting together Prince Charles' tour in the hopes that it would be covered significantly, was crushed."
The book also claimed that Harry was hitting out at anyone who "questioned his new relationship", as the royal experts wrote that the Duke of Sussex wondered if people judged the couple due to race or snobbery.
Harry had allegedly cut ties with a friend for "gossiping about Meghan" and was "poised for an outright war" with the media.
However, the book states that Charles "understood that the situation with Meghan had reached a tipping point" - despite being "disappointed" by the timing of the statement.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their engagement in November 2017 and got married on May 19, 2018.
The pair stepped down as working royals in January 2020, and now live in the States with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Harry will travel to the UK on Saturday to join in with his father's coronation celebrations, while Meghan will remain at home.
The King's younger son is expected to leave shortly after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey so that he can return home in time to join celebrations for his son Archie's birthday.
Last month, a royal source told The Mirror: "After much back and forth, Harry said that he would be returning for the King's Coronation but it will only be a fleeting visit.
"Organisers have been told Harry won't be attending the concert with the rest of the Royal Family, which is a great shame as it will be such a spectacular event."
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