King Charles III Reportedly Played into Cruel Rumors That Major James Hewitt Was Prince Harry’s ‘Real Father’

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There’s long been an unfounded rumor that Prince Harry‘s biological father is not King Charles III, but Major James Hewitt instead. That’s because Princess Diana engaged in an affair with the ginger-haired Hewitt during her marriage to Charles — but the timelines don’t add up.

According to the Duke of Sussex’s upcoming memoir, Spare, Charles often cruelly played into the rumors at the expense of Harry’s feelings. In an excerpt, per Page Six, Harry 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 continued, “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.” Harry goes on to confirm that Diana “didn’t meet Major Hewitt until long after” his birth, but the constant hurtful rumors made his feel like his life was “laughable.”

Diana reportedly began her affair with Hewitt in November of 1986, which would make Harry just over two years old at the time. And while he and Hewitt share the same hair color, it’s quite evident that Charles is indeed his biological father. The allegations of Charles’ torment just seem to play into the idea that it was okay for him to have an affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, but it was not okay for Diana to also step outside their marriage — all at the expense of his youngest son.

Before you go, click here to see Princess Diana’s most scandalous royal moments.