King Charles III held his head high amid a mixed welcome in Buckinghamshire on Thursday.
The British monarch — who ascended the throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II — traveled to Milton Keynes to commemorate its new status as a city.
Among the “otherwise pro-crowd” that gathered outside the Church of Christ the Cornerstone, photographers and onlookers alike captured “around 20” anti-monarchy demonstrators — reportedly organized by the group Republic — surrounding the 74-year-old with signs that read, “Not My King” and “Not Fit For Purpose.”
Charles, however, opted to ignore the critics and engage only in positive interactions with English flag-bearing supporters eager to shake his hand or gift him flowers.
The condemnatory sounds from the “small group of anti-Royalists” were drowned out by repeated chants of “God Save the King.”
However, that hasn’t always been the case.
Since his promotion to king, the former Prince of Wales has been met with significant opposition from civilians, particularly those fond of his estranged son and daughter-in-law, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
In fact, at the University of East London earlier this month, a student yelled out to Charles, “Bring back Harry, please. Can you bring him back, sir?”
“Who?” the royal replied, seemingly not hearing the first part of the request. When the student repeated, “Harry, your son,” Charles burst into laughter and walked away.
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Harry and Markle’s relationship with the former’s relatives has been strained since the couple stepped down from their senior royal duties in January 2020.
Tensions boiled over last month when the Duke of Sussex, 38, published a tell-all memoir that uncovered all sorts of family secrets, including an alleged physical altercation with his brother, Prince William, and a claim that Charles enjoyed making hurtful comments about redheaded Harry’s “real father.”
In one segment of the memoir, the youngest son of the late Princess Diana wrote: “Pa liked telling stories, and this was one of the best in his repertoire. He’d always end with a burst of philosophizing … Who knows if I’m really the Prince of Wales? Who knows if I’m even your real father?
“He’d laugh and laugh, though it was a remarkably unfunny joke, given the rumor circulating just then that my actual father was one of Mummy’s former lovers: Major James Hewitt. One cause of this rumor was Major Hewitt’s flaming ginger hair, but another cause was sadism.”
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The royal family has yet to address the contents of the book, cryptically titled “Spare.” Instead, they chose to focus on maintaining business as usual.
At this time, it’s unclear whether Harry or Markle, 41, will be at Charles’ coronation on May 6 — a date fans believe was chosen specifically to create a conflict for the pair, as it’s also their son Archie’s 4th birthday.
Royal sources told Page Six earlier this week that while invitations for the affair have not yet been sent out, the controversial duo will definitely be on the list.
