Prince Charles has received a letter of apology from his father, Prince Philip, for a humiliating newspaper article on whether Charles is fit to be king.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and the husband of Queen Elizabeth, reportedly also telephoned his son over the weekend to heal the growing rift.
The trouble started last week, when the Daily Telegraph published a story in which Philip was reported to have said Charles was “precious, extravagant and lacking in the dedication and discipline to make a good king.”
The journalist who wrote the piece was granted wide access to Philip’s friends and associates – but the elder prince disavowed the remarks.
Charles accepted his father’s denial.
“He accepts if these things were said, they were said . . . by people who do not have genuine access to [Philip],” The Times of London quoted a senior aide to Charles as saying.
“We accept that the remarks were intended to provoke trouble. We regard the matter as closed.”
Although relations between father and son have been frosty in the past, Charles plans to participate in celebrations marking Philip’s 80th birthday next month.