After the official release of Prince Harry‘s explosive memoir Spare earlier this week and the high-octane press cycle surrounding it, the royal family returned to business as usual on Thursday.
King Charles took a trip to Aberdeenshire, Scotland to pay a visit to the Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed, located not too far from the monarch’s Birkhall home. This community space hosts workshops, art events, craft nights, and other events aimed at promoting the well-being of the surrounding area. The organization also hopes to combat rural isolation by offering a place where people can meet and build relationships with one another. For the visit, King Charles donned a traditional green kilt which he paired with a matching striped tie and brown tweed blazer and vest to tour the community center and meet with some of the well-wishers gathered outside.
The monarch wasn’t the only one who returned to business as usual on Thursday, Prince William and Princess Kate also stepped out for their first official event of the year in Liverpool, England. The royal couple ventured out to bring attention to the important work being done by healthcare and mental health support services in the city and personally thank them for their continued care of the public. William and Kate started off their trip with a visit to the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital where they waved to the crowds awaiting them there, but did not answer any questions from reporters related to Prince Harry’s memoir.
The Royal Liverpool University Hospital just opened in October 2022, replacing the previous facility that had served the city for 40 years. This new complex has 640 beds, including 40 critical care beds earmarked specifically for patients in the intensive care and high-dependency units, making it the biggest hospital in the UK to provide all patients with single en-suite bedrooms. It also houses many specialist services with a focus on complex planned care. Some of the staff there were meeting Prince William for a second time as he’d previously chatted with members of the hospital’s critical care team over a video call three years ago in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
While there has been no official comment on the release of Spare and the stories it contains, according to sources, the royal family is said to be in shock at the extent to which Harry has divulged private family details and conversations in his book. William is reportedly so angry that he can’t speak to his brother. Charles, meanwhile, is said to be “deeply hurt,” according to a family friend who spoke to Vanity Fair. That same insider added that Queen Consort Camilla is “astounded” by Harry’s allegations that she planted stories in the press to rehabilitate her own image at the expense of him and Meghan.
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Emily Kirkpatrick
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