Prince Charles fears Harry is at a 'tipping point' and vows to do everything to help him after a series of 'heartfelt discussions' with his son

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Prince Charles has rallied round his youngest son Prince Harry, who he fears has reached 'tipping point' as the fallout of his and Meghan Markle's decision to quit as senior Royals continues to rage.

An insider claimed on Friday night the heir to the throne had vowed to support his son whatever the outcome of the turmoil currently engulfing the Sussexes.

Meghan and Harry's bombshell announcement sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the Royal Family and forced crisis talks between the Queen, Charles and William, who was said to be furious with his brother for blindsiding them.  

Although Charles has been bunkered down in these discussions to develop a 'workable solution' to the couple's 'progressive' future, his primary concern is the welfare of his son.

'He [Charles] is absolutely clear in his mind that Harry is at a tipping point and has promised him he would do everything in his power to help him,' a source told the Mirror. 

Prince Charles has rallied round his youngest son Prince Harry, who he fears has reached 'tipping point' as the fallout of his and Meghan Markle's decision to quit as senior Royals continues to rage (pair pictured in Kensington in April 2019)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their intention to quit royal life yesterday - triggering intense discussions and a four-way conference call involving all four royal households

'Charles told him he would stand by him no matter what, but urged him to come up with a sensible plan that could be worked through in order to satisfy everyone.' 

Queen gives courtiers 72 hours to resolve Royal rift

The Queen has ordered the new stripped-back roles of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to be resolved within the next 72 hours 

The Queen has ordered the new stripped-back roles of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to be determined within the next 72 hours. 

Her Majesty has reportedly also instructed officials to come up with a blueprint that could potentially apply to younger generations of the Royal Family. 

The Queen wants the crisis to last no longer than the six days that it took for Prince Andrew to announce his stepping back from royal duties after his car crash BBC Newsnight interview, the Telegraph reports.  

Her Majesty has reportedly also instructed courtiers to turn the crisis into an opportunity, and to hash out a 'workable solution' to the issue. 

According to the publication, the Queen has asked for a blueprint that is workable not just for Harry and Meghan but could also apply to following generations including Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.   

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The Prince of Wales' concern for Harry was revealed as it emerged:

• The Queen laid down a 72-hour ultimatum for Palace officials to thrash out a solution for Harry and Meghan's future;
• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are 'hopeful' talks about their role will be concluded swiftly;
• Meghan caught a BA flight to Vancouver to return to the island mansion where she stayed for Christmas and was believed to have left Archie with his nanny; 
• A snap poll found 71 per cent of the public believe Harry and Meghan were wrong not to tell The Queen of their decision to quit in advance;
• Harry's biographer Penny Junor expressed fears the Prince was behaving wildly out of charachter; 
• The Palace strongly denied ITV presenter Tom Bradbury's claim that Harry and Meghan were being 'driven out' of the monarchy;
• It emerged Meghan signed a voice-over deal with Disney in exchange for a donation to an elephant charity;
• Donald Trump said Harry and Meghan's decision was 'sad'; 
• The Sussexes shared pictures of their secret trip to a Grenfell kitchen in West London the day before making the bombshell announcment. 

Harry has had heart-to-hearts with his father over the past few months where he made his dissatisfaction with his current role clear, the source added. 

But the second most senior Royal, 71, sees Meghan and Harry playing a crucial part in his vision for the monarchy when he takes the reigns. 

Another source close to the Prince of Wales said he believes the Sussexes are the monarchy's 'greatest asset' and has ordered officials to double down on efforts to keep the couple in the fold.

The insider told the Mirror: 'There's a genuine fear from Charles that this could be the beginning of the end for Harry and Meghan's involvement with the family, and that in his words would be an "utter tragedy".'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who earlier this week revealed they would be stepping down as senior royals, returned to visit the women of The Hubb Community Kitchen

The Queen, who spent Christmas at Sandringham with her family and usually stays at the estate until February, is embroiled in a full-blown crisis as senior royals including Princes Charles and William ordered their teams to find a 'workable solution' to Harry and Meghan's future roles

Talks between Buckingham Palace and Sussex household officials to cement the couple's role going forward are believed to be making headway. 

Meghan and Harry are 'hopeful' that crunch talks determining their new stripped-back role in the Royal Family can be thrashed out 'sooner rather than later', a source revealed Friday night.

The insider close to the couple negotiations between the Palace and the Sussex household are 'progressing well', in consultation with both the UK and Canadian government. 

They said: 'They, like everyone, are hopeful this can all be worked out, sooner rather than later.

'It is in everyone's interest for this to be figured out, and figured out quickly, but not at the expense of the outcome.' 

The revelation Charles plans to stand shoulder to shoulder with his embattled son no matter what came as the Prince's biographer said Harry was behaving wildly out of character. 

Penny Junor said that 'something is seriously amiss' with the Duke, who she said had morphed from a 'charming, cheerful, self-deprecating Jack the Lad' to a father weighed down by the emotions of parenthood who is on a path of self-destruction.

Writing in the Daily Mail, she said: 'As a close observer of him as man and boy, I am worried about the new approach he is taking to life.

The recklessness shown in his and Meghan’s seismic decision effectively to quit the Royal Family (except, seemingly, when it suits them) and forge their own "progressive" path — while pursuing financial independence — does not speak to me of a balanced or careful strategy, even if they have, as alleged, been ‘plotting’ it for months.

She added: 'The intense emotions of parenthood have surely been a factor.

'Harry made no secret of his desire for a family of his own, and his delightful rapport with childen showed what a devoted father he would become. His joy at Archie’s birth in May was wonderful to behold.

'Alarmingly, though, he has appeared determined since then on what might appear to be a trajectory of self-destruction — and I do not use that phrase lightly.'  

The Queen, who is in Sandringham, wants the situation resolved as quickly as possible. Prince Charles (left), currently in Scotland, was also involved in the conference call along with Prince William (right), at Kensington Palace

One source told the Mail yesterday that Harry had privately been consulting friends about his plans as far back as late spring

I'm worried about Prince Harry... I fear something is seriously amiss and he's on a trajectory of self-destruction, writes his biographer PENNY JUNOR 

What an explosive week this has been in the aftermath of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell announcement that they wish to ‘step back’ as senior royals.

I share much of the anger, frustration and sorrow of the British public at their decision, which has been much-discussed over the past few days.

But there is one aspect of this drama that concerns and saddens me: the behaviour of Prince Harry, and what appears to be him turning his back on the Royal Family.

This is so out of character, and — as his biographer who knows him better than many — I fear something is seriously amiss. 

The Harry that the nation came to love, a charming, cheerful, self-deprecating Jack the Lad, has been missing for many months.

As a close observer of him as man and boy, I am worried about the new approach he is taking to life.

The recklessness shown in his and Meghan’s seismic decision effectively to quit the Royal Family (except, seemingly, when it suits them) and forge their own ‘progressive’ path — while pursuing financial independence — does not speak to me of a balanced or careful strategy, even if they have, as alleged, been ‘plotting’ it for months.

Some people have expressed fears for the longevity of the marriage. In public, the pair still appear devoted to each other; yet I worry that they will find it difficult to adjust to their altered, ex-royal status

Yesterday, the Mail revealed that Meghan had returned to Canada to be reunited with eight-month-old Archie, whom they had left with his nanny and a close friend. Surely it will not be long before Harry is back with them, if indeed he’s not there already.

He leaves his family — the Firm — in turmoil, desperate to contain the fallout after this shock announcement and, it seems, to appease the disgruntled Sussexes and keep them within the royal fold however they can.

There is no question that Harry and Meghan’s desire to quit royal life threatens to damage the institution that his beloved grandmother, the Queen, embodies.

What on earth has happened to the Prince the nation once held to its heart?

The Harry that the nation came to love, a charming, cheerful, self-deprecating Jack the Lad, has been missing for many months. As a close observer of him as man and boy, I am worried about the new approach he is taking to life. He is pictured above in Wootton Bassett in 2010

The intense emotions of parenthood have surely been a factor. 

Harry made no secret of his desire for a family of his own, and his delightful rapport with childen showed what a devoted father he would become. His joy at Archie’s birth in May was wonderful to behold.

Alarmingly, though, he has appeared determined since then on what might appear to be a trajectory of self-destruction — and I do not use that phrase lightly.

He is essentially rejecting his birthright, his closest family and a public role that he seemed to have embraced and flourished in.

Everything, indeed, that helped transform a headstrong, troubled teenager into a fine soldier respected by his comrades, who saw military action twice and who became a hugely effective campaigner for wounded veterans.

Harry has spoken about seeking counselling to deal with his ongoing grief about the death of his mother in 1997. The pair are pictured together visiting Thorpe Park in 1991

He has also distanced himself from longstanding, loyal friends.

But perhaps the most alarming factor has been the apparent severing of his relationship with William, which has been tragic to behold.

Everything, indeed, that helped transform a headstrong, troubled teenager into a fine soldier respected by his comrades, who saw military action twice and who became a hugely effective campaigner for wounded veterans. He is pictured in a polo match in 2003

Theirs was a bond as close as any two brothers could have. Their situation was unique: what they had been through, including the sudden death of their mother, Princess Diana, could not be shared with anyone else. They trusted each other with everything.

Yet now they appear to be barely speaking. They reportedly did not see each other in private for a full six months after Harry and Meghan’s lavish wedding in May 2018.

Prince William is said to be ‘incandescent’ about Harry and Meghan’s decision — an event that totally overshadowed Kate’s 38th birthday celebrations on Thursday. (And didn’t that photograph yesterday of a grim Kate at the wheel of her car illustrate just how draining this crisis is proving on all concerned?)

Harry’s former Private Secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, must be tearing out his hair. He was instrumental in helping Harry through his most troubled years, and I know his great hope was to see the brothers shoulder-to-shoulder, twin pillars of the Royal Family, for decades to come.

Yes, William and Harry have different strengths, but they complemented each other well. Something has gone badly wrong with that relationship.

It is all too easy to lay the blame for this crisis on Meghan. Though she is a confident, thirtysomething actress, I think she has, not surprisingly, found it immensely difficult to adjust to life as a royal.

These issues more likely have their roots in the fact that a besotted Harry has been doing his utmost to protect his wife.

Palace deny 'driving out' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The couple's close confidante Tom Bradby claimed the Palace told the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that there were plans for a 'slimmed down monarchy' and they 'weren't really a part of it'

Palace aides have denied that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are being 'driven out' of the royal family and say the couple would be 'at the centre' of a potentially stream-lined monarchy.

This comes after the couple's close confidante Tom Bradby claimed the Palace told the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that there were plans for a 'slimmed down monarchy' and they 'weren't really a part of it.' 

A palace aide told The Times: 'It is strongly disputed that the Sussexes are not at the centre of any future slimmed-down monarchy.'

ITV News presenter Bradby yesterday insisted that it was 'certainly not true' to suggest the royal household was 'blindsided' by their decision to step down from senior roles within the monarchy.

Mr Bradby - who has known the prince for more than 20 years - said it was only the timing of their bombshell announcement on Wednesday that angered Her Majesty. 

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True, Meghan’s relationship with her own family is peculiar. Only one of them, her delightful mother Doria Ragland, attended their wedding; while Meghan isn’t speaking to her father or half-sister.

Now Harry is visibly estranged from his own family in a not dissimilar way. How much of all this is due to Meghan’s influence, I wouldn’t pretend to know.

Regardless, Harry has long struggled with what it means to be a royal. We felt for him during those years when he wanted to be just plain Harry, when he was drinking too much and being photographed in one compromising situation after another.

But he went into the Army, trained as an Apache helicopter pilot and came good in spectacular fashion.

Then he realised that, because of who he was, he could do fantastic things for others.

The most dramatic example came in 2013 when he walked to the South Pole with wounded veterans to show the world that there is life beyond injury.

Back home, he set up the Invictus Games for wounded and disabled military veterans — a mammoth undertaking, organised in less than a year. That was possible only because of his royal status.

And when Harry courageously spoke out about his own struggles with mental health, he did more than any other initiative had to raise awareness and persuade others to seek help.

I thought he had properly recognised both the royal title and the good he can do with it.

Now he and Meghan want to act alone: against the world, it seems.

Perhaps the most alarming factor has been the apparent severing of his relationship with William, which has been tragic to behold. Theirs was a bond as close as any two brothers could have

I am baffled, too, by the sheer disrespect he has shown to his grandmother. He was always so close to the Queen. He’d even call her on her mobile!

Her Majesty will put up with a lot, but one thing she hates is surprises: she likes to know what will confront her in the morning papers. But Harry and Meghan ignored this.

Meghan and Harry reveal pictures from secret Grenfell kitchen trip 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to visit the women of The Hubb Community Kitchen

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have today revealed pictures of their secret visit to a Grenfell kitchen four days ago as she returned to Canada to be reunited with Archie. 

In the first glimpse of what their 'progressive' new role could look like, the couple met, embraced and laughed with the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen in West London.

This afternoon's post to their 10.4million Instagram followers made no mention of the storm raging in the upper echelons of the Royal Family, as the public clamour for answers in the wake of Wednesday night's shock statement continues to be met with a wall of silence. 

The six pictures were accompanied by the caption: 'These women came together in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy to cook meals for their families and neighbours who had been displaced from the fire.

'With funds from the successful cookbook, they have now been able to share their spirit of community with so many more. 

In September 2018, it was revealed Meghan had been secretly visiting the Hubb Community Kitchen to meet with the women who put together the 'Together: Our Community Cookbook', for which she wrote the foreword.  

The kitchen was opened in the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell tragedy, and Meghan's support for the project is widely credited with spurring a surge of donations.  

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Coming on the heels both of Andrew’s disgrace and of the Sussexes’ decision to spurn Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham in favour of the comforts of an unnamed billionaire’s mansion on Vancouver Island, it is treatment that borders on the callous.

The Queen has always loved and supported Harry, tolerating his misdemeanors. Yet now she is said to be ‘hurt and furious’ at his behaviour.

In my view, the turning point in this saga, which had been bubbling for most of last year, came in September with the couple’s visit to South Africa.

They began so well, doing a cracking job highlighting the plight of deprived communities. After a rocky few months, following criticism over the unnecessary secrecy around Archie’s birth and christening, they appeared to have reset the dial of public opinion.

And then they soured the whole thing, first by taking out a writ against the Mail on Sunday, the Mail’s sister paper; then by Harry’s bitter verbal attack on the Press; then worst of all in that joint interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby.

To bleat about their ‘inability to thrive’ while standing in a country where so many people are desperately trying merely to exist was appalling. I couldn’t understand it.

Harry, who loves Africa, knows how important his charity work is. There, he was surrounded by people who have nothing — and yet all he and Meghan could do was whinge. 

On that same trip, Harry suggested that the Press’s treatment of Meghan was akin to the treatment of his late mother. That was extreme: the two cases are not comparable at all.

Any negative stories about Meghan — for example, those that questioned her taking a private jet, costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, to New York for a baby shower, have been relatively mild compared to those printed about the Princess of Wales (or Camilla Parker Bowles, for that matter).

And, by now, Harrry should have recognised that one of the sacrifices he has to make, in return for the palaces and the prestige, is to submit to the scrutiny of the Press — which also enthusiastically cheers all his good works.

When Harry courageously spoke out about his own struggles with mental health, he did more than any other initiative had to raise awareness and persuade others to seek help. I thought he had properly recognised both the royal title and the good he can do with it

Harry made no secret of his desire for a family of his own, and his delightful rapport with childen showed what a devoted father he would become. His joy at Archie’s birth in May was wonderful to behold

In the past, he had a great relationship with most royal correspondents. I’ve been on tours with him, watched him host receptions for journalists at Kensington Palace, and he has been utterly charming, even to those whom he knows have at times been less than kind.

Why turn against the people who were, at that moment, in Africa with him, eating out of his hand?

Meanwhile, any idea that there was a sustained campaign against Meghan — least of all one founded on racism, as even the New York Times suggested yesterday — is nonsense. The Press and public were thrilled when he fell in love with her, and instantly fell in love with her, too.

Meghan is probably the stronger of the two, but that does not mean Harry is weak. He is, however, emotional — and that is perhaps the heart of the problem.

Harry has spoken about seeking counselling to deal with his ongoing grief about the death of his mother in 1997. He added he has felt anxiety at royal events and, when he was 28, was once ‘on the verge of punching someone’.

‘[I was] very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions,’ he said.

Those experiences were the driving force behind the Heads Together mental-health charity that, as a member of the Fab Four — William, Kate, himself and Meghan — he helped found.

Just two years ago — a year after he met Meghan — he revealed he was in ‘a good place’.

Yet during that Africa tour, Harry told a young man that he sometimes felt ‘overwhelmed’ by the world’s problems. Such were his worries, he added, there were days when he struggled to get out of bed.

Her Majesty will put up with a lot, but one thing she hates is surprises: she likes to know what will confront her in the morning papers. But Harry and Meghan ignored this

Given all this, I suspect I am not alone in feeling great concern about the Prince’s emotional state at this moment of crisis for his family.

Some people have expressed fears for the longevity of the marriage. In public, the pair still appear devoted to each other; yet I worry that they will find it difficult to adjust to their altered, ex-royal status.

Harry in particular may discover he has lost some of his power to influence and persuade. That will be difficult for him to accept.

His former friends, meanwhile, are desperately hurt. Many would love to help him, yet he has isolated himself. That is not healthy. For prince or pauper, life is lonely without friends to lean on.

Harry was the best-loved of all the royals after the Queen. We have never forgotten the little boy who walked so bravely behind his mother’s coffin. 

He has had our hearts ever since. It is tragic to see all that goodwill tossed away.

I hope the situation can be rescued, but right now reconciliation for this unhappy couple is a long way off.

Above all, Harry must not burn any more bridges. One day he might need a family to welcome him home — and a nation to take him back.