King Charles, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment, got candid about his emotions during a family meeting, which may have reminded him of the bond once shared between Prince William and Prince Harry.
The monarch attended the VJ Day service on its 80th anniversary held in the National Memorial Arboretum where he was given an “off script” emotional tribute by a 104-year-old war veteran Yavar Abbas.
The vet expressed his gratitude to Charles and to salute “brave King” for attending the service with his “beloved” Queen and to “make sure that his Grandad’s 14th army is never given the sobriquet of the forgotten army”. The royal couple was visibly left in tears after the statement.
Charles then met with the family of the vet and the “intimate” interaction “felt like family”.
“He's a wonderful man, wonderful man. He held on to my hand, he wouldn't let go,” Abbas told The Mirror. “The King said to me: ‘You know when you said that, I had tears in my eyes. I’m very grateful to you,' and then we talked about our cancers, very intimate talks.”
Abbas quipped his memoirs will now “of course have a chapter about [his] meeting with the King”.
Charles met Abbas’s family and chatted happily. “There was a special table reserved for me and my family and he came to our table,” the vet shared.
“He sat down as if he was part of my family. He talked to my two sons and their wives, and my daughter and granddaughter, they were all there. He was especially attentive to my wife, Noor, who was thrilled. She's been absolutely wonderful, she is very much a part of my story.”
The King was already distanced from his younger son when the heir to his throne made an unprecedented decision about his ‘forever home’. Prince William and Kate Middleton have decided that they will continue to live in Forest Lodge and not move into Buckingham palace even after the ascension of William
Some experts warn that this could push away William further from other members of the royal family.
The King is currently receiving weekly treatments for cancer. While the treatment has been going well, the heartwarming meeting with Abbas’s family may have been a painful reminder of his wish he made to William and Harry.
Harry wrote in his memoir Spare that during a fight, Charles ended up pleading to his sons, “Please, boys - don't make my final years a misery.”
It remains to be seen if this wish would be fulfilled as peace talks continues between Montecito and Buckingham Palace.