Christmas 'Battle Royale' Imminent: King Charles Is 'Disappointed' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Leaked Details of His Birthday Phone Call

King Charles III is not pleased that details about his private phone call with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were leaked to the media.

"We know that the King was actually quite disappointed that the private phone call he had with Harry on the King’s 75th birthday was yet again leaked to the press," royal expert Rafe Heydel-Mankoo told an outlet.

"He's trying very much to have the focus on his public life, and whilst, of course, as a loving father he's very happy to have a conversation with his estranged son, he wasn't the one who was leaking this to them to the press," he added. "You can only imagine what the Prince and Princess of Wales will be thinking about the prospect of having Christmas with Harry and Meghan, [and] having their private conversations pop up in the future Netflix special or in a sequel to Harry's tacky memoir."

The royal commentator continued: "How far we've come in all of this. Remember Harry's arrogant demand that the royal family apologize and acknowledge their guilt for their treatment. Now we have seen the opposite of it all."

The Montecito royal rebels called Charles III on Tuesday, November 14, to wish him a happy birthday — his second as the reigning monarch of Britain and the Commonwealth. The three were said to have had a cordial and lengthy chat, which included the pair showing the King a specially-made video of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Diana serenading him with a rendition of "Happy Birthday."

Soon after, reports were circulating in the media describing all these events, which is a breach of royal protocol and security since phone calls with the British head of state are meant to be kept confidential.

It is believed to be the first time the monarch spoke with his former actress daughter-in-law since around the time of Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in September 2022. Although customs were breached, the chat was reportedly well-received by all recipients — but some analysts believe it will do nothing to quickly heal the feud between the Sussex family and the royals.

"Pride comes before a fall. The King’s actually stood his ground throughout all of this quite wisely, and in the end, now it's Prince Harry who has made a humiliating climbdown. Let's just put this into everyday human context. Imagine waging war on your family for years, trashing your family, and revealing private conversations behind their back to everybody," Heydel-Mankoo observed.

"They're causing your ailing grandmother untold anguish in her final months, undermining, [and] attacking your father, humiliating and demeaning his wife at the very most delicate and sensitive moment in their own lives, and generally doing everything possible to hog the limelight and cast a shadow over the most important family event for 17 years," the commentator concluded.

GBN interviewed Heydel-Mankoo.