Amidst all of Prince Harry's confessions about Meghan Markle joining the royal family, his comments on his father King Charles' "boyish" reaction to his wife is arguably the most surprising.
The Duke of Sussex revealed in his book Spare that he sat down with his wife-to-be and his father at Charles and Camilla's royal residence Clarence House ahead of their nuptials in May 2018 to discuss music options. Harry recalled how Charles used his "wireless" to play different types of songs that could be used for the ceremony, and both Charles and Meghan's love of classical music is what bonded them.
"He wholly endorsed our desire to have an orchestra rather than an organist, and he played an assortment of orchestras to get us in the mood," he began. Harry went on to explain that the monarch loves Beethoven while Meghan took a liking to Chopin after his music helped soothe her pet dogs Guy and Bogart when she was living in Canada and filming Suits.
© GettyHarry added of Charles: "He was airy, witty, charming, and I kept shaking my head in amazement. I knew Pa loved music, but I never knew he loved it this much.
"Meg evoked so much in him, qualities I’d rarely seen. In her presence Pa became boyish. I saw it, saw the bond between them growing stronger, and I felt strengthened in my own bond with him.
"So many people were treating her shabbily, it filled my heart to see my father treating her like the princess she was about to – maybe born to – become," he added.
Meanwhile, he has claimed that Meghan's relationship with his brother Prince William and sister-in-law Princess Kate was not as smooth-sailing. During his first televised interview to promote Spare, the Duke confirmed that his brother never tried to "dissuade" him from starting a life with the American actress but he had "concerns."
© Getty"No, he never tried to dissuade me from marrying Meghan," he confirmed to ITV journalist Tom Bradby. "But he aired some concerns, and said, 'This is going to be really hard for you.'
"And still to this day, I don't truly understand which part of what he was talking about. Maybe he predicted what the British press' reaction was going to be."
Harry also claimed that the Prince of Wales recommended avoiding Westminster Abbey, where he married Princess Kate in 2011, and St Paul's Cathedral, where King Charles married their mother Princess Diana in 1981.
The couple settled on St George's Chapel for their wedding venue, and they exchanged vows on 19 May 2018 in front of celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Elton John and Priyanka Chopra. They went on to enjoy a lunchtime reception at Windsor Castle hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II, where they had chosen to incorporate an American tradition and asked couples to sit together during the meal.
However, William and Kate's table was the only one that failed to follow suit, as Harry stated that they changed the place cards at the last minute in order to ensure spouses were seated separately.
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