Prince Harry appeared to have to make an interesting choice of words, which appeared to have caused him trouble with his father, King Charles, particularly during negotiations for a truce.
During his four-day visit to Australia, he undertook several engagements in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. Speaking about parenting at an event organized by the Movember charity, Harry sounded like he was looking out for his cancer-stricken father in the midst of a strained relationship.
Harry had said that as parenthood evolves over time, the children are an “upgrade” of their own parents.
“Not to say that I upgraded my father or that my children upgraded me, but the children that we are raising in today’s world need to be upgraded,” he quickly added.
“There’s no judgment, there’s no blame, there’s no finger-pointing. The reality is that — no matter how you parent — it’s a personal experience for you, you want to improve it.”
Although there had been a lot of backlash for Harry, royal expert Jennie Bond explained that it was not a “deliberate comparison” between himself and King Charles. Therefore, he immediately cleared the air “knowing that some people could take them as a criticism”.
Bond claimed that Harry’s language was a “little clumsy”, but it was not an insult to Charles.
“I think he just meant that he wants to be the best father possible and prepare his children for this fast-paced, fast-changing modern world,” she pointed out.
“That’s pretty much what every parent wants for their offspring and I think the King would have understood what Harry meant.”
