Prince Harry and Prince William partied so much as teenagers that Highgrove House was known as “Club H”, claims royal author
The brothers' father, King Charles, left them 'to look after themselves'
A new book has claimed that Prince William and Prince Harry were often left to fend for themselves, with their father King Charles leaving them to throw crazy parties in Highgrove House as teenagers
- A royal author has claimed that King Charles was not a 'present' father, leaving his then teenage sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, often unable to get in touch with him
- Subsequently, the boys became rebellious, allegedly throwing parties so frequently that Highgrove House began to be known as 'Club H'
- In other royal news, Prince Harry has confirmed the name and release date of his upcoming new book
After the death of their mother, Princess Diana, the then teenagers Prince William and Prince Harry were often left alone, with no way to contact their dad, the then Prince Charles.
The claims come from a new royal book, The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown which is available on Amazon, written by royal expert Katie Nicholl. According to Nicholl, King Charles was not a 'present' father with his sons, often leaving them to their own devices as he was 'busy' with work and his longtime love, the then Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Nicholl writes, “With a busy work schedule and Camilla now very much a priority in his private diary, Charles placed too much trust in William and Harry to look after themselves."
When the boys were not staying at the elite boarding school Eton College, they spent the majority of their time at their father’s home, Highgrove House, but Charles was rarely there, one of Charles' former aides told Nicholl.
According to the former aide, this lack of attention led the young brothers to act out and become rebellious.
They explained, “The boys wanted their independence, and they probably had too much of it. Often when they wanted to speak to their father, he wasn’t around, and because he didn’t carry a cell phone with him, they would get frustrated that they couldn’t get a hold of him. If they needed him, they’d end up calling his protection officers so they could talk to him, which wasn’t ideal. They wanted to speak to their dad, but Charles doesn’t do calls on the hoof or texting; he likes to make time for considered conversations.”
GoodtoKnow Newsletter
Parenting advice, hot topics, best buys and family finance tips delivered straight to your inbox.
When the teenagers were left un-supervised, whether by their father, his aides or the surrogate families Charles would reportedly send the boys off to, according to Her late Majesty’s cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, they got into trouble.
Lady Elizabeth told Nicholl, “At Highgrove on weekends, the boys could be at a loose end because Charles wasn’t always around.”
Nicholl reports that because parties were so frequently thrown by the brothers, Highgrove House began to be known as “Club H,” and by 2001, when Harry was just 17, he was drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes at an inn near the home.
Nicholl details, “Those who knew turned a blind eye, but when an aide recognised the unmistakable smell of marijuana emanating from Club H, the young prince was busted.”
Unfortunately, the brothers' foray into party throwing led to their first of many siblings rifts, as only Harry got in trouble, even though William was there at the time, too, Nicholl writes.
Related articles:
- When will Prince Harry's memoir come out and what will he share?
- Queen Consort Camilla was supportive of Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2007 breakup, reveals royal expert
- Reliving memories in Netflix’s new season of The Crown will be “incredibly hard" for Prince Harry and Prince William, claims royal expert
- Kate Middleton could be given this 'unprecedented' role by King Charles in a break from royal tradition
- Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis ‘will never call’ Camilla their grandmother, according to new book
Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.
-
New data highlights the main disparities when it comes to parents requesting flexible working, and sadly we're not surprised by the findings
We'll give you three guesses as to which parent is more likely to ask for flexible working arrangements from their employer...
By Sarah Handley Published
-
Who did Bluey have a baby with? Fan theories are running wild following the cartoon’s season 3 finale (our money is on Mackenzie)
The 'Surprise!’ episode has really done what it says on the tin - and many can’t get over the shock of Bluey having a baby
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince George, Charlotte and Louis are huge fans of this popular tinned food - and it’s not what you’d expect from the royals
Royal meal times are more similar to the average family's than you might imagine
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince George is ‘a chip off the old block’ says body language expert as she highlights the similarities between him and his dad Prince William
The father/son duo share an incredibly close bond
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Does Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new family-friendly Netflix show mean we'll see more of Archie and Lilibet? We share everything we know
Royal fans are hoping to catch a glimpse of the youngsters
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince William and Kate Middleton planning to renovate family home as it only ‘just about fits the entire family’
The Waleses Windsor home Adelaide Cottage is about to get a new look
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince William treated Prince George to the ultimate father/son bonding night - and everyone is saying the same thing about the youngster
The father and son both have a love for football, bonding over the shared interest
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
The unexpected way King Charles made sure his son Prince William met Kate Middleton - and he could never have guessed how important the ‘fatherly’ advice would be
Without some stern advice from his father, Prince William may never have met his future wife
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince William and Kate Middleton are ‘enthusiastic’ about reconciling with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - and it’s all for the sake of their children
The Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly keen to end the royal feud and connect with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Kate Middleton and Prince William likely 'sugarcoated' cancer diagnosis for younger son Louis, the King's former butler says, but it was a little different for Prince George and Princess Charlotte
The Prince and Princess of Wales made sure to break the news in as 'positive' of a way as possible
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published