Alexander Larman

Is King Charles bringing Andrew back into the fold?

(Photo: Getty)

I am beginning to wonder if there are, in fact, two incarnations of King Charles that co-exist simultaneously. The first is a remarkably generous-spirited and forgiving man, who responds to insults and slights with Christ-like forbearance and shows nothing but a genuine love for his country and his people. And the second is a more flawed and capricious human being, who displays his temper both publicly and in acts of revenge against members of his family who have displeased him.

If Charles really has managed to neutralise the two most troublesome and publicity-hungry members of the Firm, it’s a remarkable achievement

These personae may appear to be contradictory, but when it comes to the coronation, it is the first side of him that has been on display. Now that it has (finally, belatedly) been confirmed that Prince Harry will indeed be attending the ceremony in three weeks’ time, the potential for embarrassment and difficulty has been considerably reduced, if not removed entirely; this is, after all, a Prince who recently wrote an excoriating memoir that was less than flattering about both his father and his stepmother.

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