5 Times King Charles Seemingly Chose Prince William Over Harry

Prince Harry may be King Charles' son, but his position within the Royal Family was always firmly behind his brother. Over the years, there have been several moments when Charles appeared to place the future King, Prince William, ahead of Harry. From important military roles to major royal occasions, the difference in treatment has often been difficult to miss.

One of the clearest examples came when Charles handed William the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps. The appointment was announced in 2023 and formally handed over in May 2024. The decision was rather controversial, as Harry had previously served with the Army Air Corps during his military career and was an Apache helicopter pilot. Yet Charles chose William to take over the prestigious position, strengthening the future King's military links.

When Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step back as senior working royals, the terms of their new arrangement at the Sandringham Summit made their changed position very clear. The Palace confirmed that the Sussexes would step back from royal duties; they would no longer receive public funds and security and would not use their HRH titles as working members of the Royal Family. William reportedly was a staunch enforcer of the Summit terms, and Charles is said to have sided with him. Talking about it in his Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, he shared, “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that simply weren't true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.” Even after Harry's return to the UK recently, Charles' letter made his stance clear by announcing that his youngest and his family remain private citizens.

While Harry is often described as sharing several resemblances with his mother's side of the family, including his iconic red hair, William has increasingly been likened to Charles and the Mountbatten-Windsor side of the family. When Charles first saw his newborn younger son, he famously remarked to Princess Diana, "Oh God, it's a boy — And he's even got red hair." Royal expert Andrew Morton, in his book Diana: Her True Story, has noted that Charles later insisted it was meant as a lighthearted joke, but the comment deeply frustrated Diana and has stuck with Harry.

Perhaps the most striking example came at Charles' Coronation in May 2023. With William being the direct heir, Charles has increasingly positioned him at the centre of major royal duties and constitutional occasions. He was given a formal role in the ceremony, kneeling before his father and pledging his loyalty to him. The official Coronation order of service records William as the only member of the Royal Family to perform the homage alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury. Harry, despite being Charles' son and a prince, had no role in the ceremony itself and was seated three rows behind. He attended as a guest rather than taking part in the central proceedings. The contrast was hard to miss: William was beside the King, while Harry watched from the congregation. This is particularly interesting as traditionally the 'Homage of the Royal Blood' ritual requires all royal dukes, including the monarch's brothers and sons, to step forward, kneel, touch the crown, and swear an oath of allegiance. By rewriting the ancient ceremony, Charles ensured that Harry was stripped of the ceremonial importance. Harry was also not allowed to wear his military uniform.

After Harry's exit from the royal fold, Charles has largely backed William in his stance towards his brother. Harry, in his memoir Spare, detailed an incident from Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021 when Charles and William teamed up against him, unwelcoming as he landed in London for the solemn ceremony. "I’d come looking for a fight. Instead, I’d found a duel." He elaborated that after the funeral he met Charles and William walking into the gardens and felt that they were aggressive, defensive, and completely out of touch with his reality. The Prince continued, "I looked at Willy, really looked at him, maybe for the first time since we were boys. I took it all in: his familiar scowl, which had always been his default mode when dealing with me...”