Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left King Charles in trouble with their major decision about their future life, according to a royal book.
The 75-year-old was given 20 minutes notice before his son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan Markle made the abrupt announcement.
Meghan and Harry, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, first met in July 2016 before going public with their relationship in November. At the time, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, was preparing to meet the King of Bahrain during a delicate tour in the Persian Gulf sovereign state.
The 75-year-old was left feeling 'crushed' following the shocking announcement that also sent shockwaves across the world.
According to Finding Freedom authors, Charles' team had spent months organising the tour, hoping it would be "covered significantly" by the media.
But Charles was reportedly "crushed" when Harry and Meghan confirmed their relationship publicly while also launching an attack on the media, as he thought the announcement would dominate the news cycle, overshadowing his tour.
The authors claimed Harry gave his father just 20 minutes' notice before releasing a statement that confirmed his relationship with Meghan.
The book reads: "It was a critical moment that had been in the works for months. 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."
"The team at Clarence House, which had spent months putting together Prince Charles' tour in the hopes that it would be covered significantly crushed," according to royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.
The book also says Harry was challenging anyone who "questioned his new relationship", with the authors writing that the Duke of Sussex would wonder if people were judging them because of race or snobbery.
Harry had allegedly cut ties with a friend for "gossiping about Meghan" and was "poised for an outright war" with the media.
However, the book insists Charles "understood that the situation with Meghan had reached a tipping point" despite being "disappointed" by the timing of his son's statement.
Relations between the King Charles and Prince Harry have fractured over the years following the Duke's decision to leave the royal family and his subsequent attacks on the monarchy.