Prince Philip has apologised to his son, the Prince of Wales, after a London broadsheet claimed the elder royal deemed Charles unfit to be king. A Buckingham Palace spokesman denied the comments, and, not wanting to re-open a rift between the two, Prince Philip penned a letter of apology and made a phone call to Charles himself, denying he’d ever made the comments or authorised close friends and aides to speak on his behalf.
“The Prince accepts that if these things were said, then they were without the authorisation of his father,” says one senior official. Charles was initially said to be so upset by the comments that he’d decided against composing a planned warm tribute to Prince Philip for his eightieth birthday. However, the Prince of Wales insists he will take full part in the upcoming celebrations.
The relationship between Charles and Philip has been strained since the Prince of Wales’ own book implied that his father had pressured him into marrying the late Princess Diana.
Journalist Graham Turner interviewed the Duke of Edinburgh’s senior courtiers for a 10,000 word biography, and was believed to be given a unique level of access.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
