King Charles was left out of succession talks while Kate was expecting George

King Charles was once left in the “doghouse” after raising questions during Kate Middleton’s first pregnancy, a new royal book reveals.

In Power and the Palace by Valentine Low, excerpts published in The Times detail how Charles, then Prince of Wales, felt sidelined when the government pushed through the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act, which ended male-preference primogeniture. 

At the time, William and Kate were expecting their first child, Prince George.

Charles reportedly invited Richard Heaton, a senior civil servant, for tea in December 2012 to ask what would happen if his grandchild were a girl. 

Would the royal house become “Smith” if she married a Mr. Smith? What about Catholic spouses or hereditary peerages?

Weeks later, The Daily Mail ran a story suggesting Charles and William “hadn’t been consulted,” sparking tension with Whitehall. 

Officials accused Charles of misrepresenting the conversation, leaking private discussions, and criticising policy, earning him the label of being “in the doghouse.”

Though never apologizing outright, Charles later invited Heaton on a royal train trip, which was seen as an olive branch. 

Ultimately, the new law made Princess Charlotte’s place in succession secure when Prince Louis was born in 2018.

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