Charles ‘crushed’ after Meghan announcement overshadowed his Middle East tour

Prince Charles was reportedly said to have been “crushed” with a Meghan Markle announcement that overshadowed his long-awaited Middle East tour.

The Prince of Wales was in his final days of a significant tour of the Middle East in November 2016, which he and his team hoped would be “covered significantly”.

But as he was set to meet with the King of Bahrain in a delicate diplomatic summit, the news cycle was dominated by the confirmation of Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship.

On November 8, 2016, following months of speculation about whether Meghan and Harry were an item, the Duke of Sussex issued a statement confirming the relationship.

According to the book Finding Freedom, Charles was blindsided by his son's public statement regarding his new girlfriend.

Book authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim Harry gave his father just 20 minutes' notice before releasing the statement.

Charles was allegedly "crushed" by the announcement which he knew would blow his much-anticipated Middle East tour completely off the map in the public consciousness.

The biography says: "It was a critical moment that had been in the works for months.

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"A statement from Kensington Palace condemning the Press and, in the same breath, confirming Harry's new girlfriend would all but eliminate coverage of Prince Charles's tour of the Gulf."

Despite being "disappointed" with his son's timing around releasing a statement, the book claims Charles "understood that the situation with Meghan had reached a tipping point" and something had to be said.

The book also claims Harry was, at the time, prone to lash out at anyone who "questioned his new relationship".

"He would wonder, 'Is this about race? Is it snobbery?'" the authors wrote.

He allegedly cut ties with a friend for "gossiping about Meghan" and was "poised for an outright war" with the press.

Prince Williamreportedly found himself on the receiving end of Harry's temper after he told his brother: "Don't feel you need to rush this. Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl."

Harry thought William was "being a snob" about his romance with the actress, according to a source.

They told the authors: "Harry was p***ed off. "P***ed off that his brother would ask such a thing. Some felt it was an overreaction.

"But then this totally sums them up as people — William, the calm and rational one, and Harry, who can't help but take things far too personally."

The Daily Star has approached the Prince of Wales for comment.

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