Royals

Prince Charles was disappointed with birth of Prince Harry, book alleges

It's claimed the quotes came directly from Diana

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With the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death approaching there are dozens of books and documentaries surfacing.

One particularly controversial book – which is actually a re-release – features quotes made by the ‘Princess of Hearts’ in 1991, while she was still married to Prince Charles.

And she reveals her husband’s somewhat deflating first impressions when presented with his second child, Harry.

In Andrew Morton’s Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words, the Princess makes it clear that Charles wanted a child of each sex.

This meant, after Prince William was born in 1982, the second one had to be a girl. So when little Harry arrived, he was met with a flat response from the future King.

Read more: Paul Burrell makes shocking claims about Kate Middleton in new interview

Diana is quoted as saying: “First comment was: ‘Oh God, it’s a boy.’ Second comment: ‘And he’s even got red hair.'”

But while the sex of the child came as a surprise to Charles, Diana says that she was aware right from the start.

“I knew Harry was going to be a boy because I saw on the scan,” she reveals.

“[Charles] wanted two children and he wanted a girl. I knew Harry was a boy and I didn’t tell him.”

But if Diana was disappointed with her husband’s initial reaction, worse was to come.

The book claims that, at Harry’s christening, Charles approached his wife’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd, to vent his frustrations.

Read more: Princess Diana’s brother claims he was lied to about William and Harry wanting to walk behind their mother’s coffin 

“Charles went to talk to my mother at Harry’s christening and said: ‘We were so disappointed – we thought it would be a girl,'” reveals Diana.

“Mummy snapped his head off, saying: ‘You should realise how lucky you are to have a child that’s normal.’

“Ever since that day, the shutters have come down and that’s what he does when he gets somebody answering back at him.”

And she claims the episode had a negative impact on their marriage.

Though she says the royal couple were “very, very close to each other” in the weeks leading up to Harry’s birth, Diana reveals: “Suddenly as Harry was born it just went bang, our marriage, the whole thing went down the drain.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor