Prince Charles Made an Offhand Joke That Made Princess Diana Upset During Harry’s Birth: “Oh God, It’s…”

Princess Diana was happy to be a mother a second time, and so was her husband Prince Charles until he found out it was a boy, again. In Andrew Morton's book Diana: Her True Story, the late princess revealed Charles' dismay over Prince Harry's birth. And while Diana was still in the hospital, Charles made a joke that instantly added to her already miserable life. 

"Charles always wanted a girl," said Diana. "Harry was a boy. His first comment was, 'Oh God, it's a boy.' His second, 'And he's even got red hair.'" At the time, Charles excused himself, saying, he meant it as a joke but his words pierced through Diana's heart, who was struggling to save her failing marriage, as per Pop Sugar. Moreover, the trait of having red hair ran in Diana's family as her elder sisters and younger brother all happened to have red hair. 

Furthermore, Charles continued making snide remarks about his second son and this created more distance between the couple who, as Diana claimed, were "the closest we've ever, ever been and ever will be" but "suddenly, as Harry was born, it just went bang, our marriage. The whole thing went down the drain." 

These claims are part of the audio recording Diana did for her biographer. In one of those tapes, she recalls Charles complaining to her stepmother, Raine Spencer, "We're so disappointed; we wanted a girl." According to Diana, Spencer "snapped her head off" to let the monarch know he should be grateful to "have a child." The princess added, "Ever since that day, the shutters have come down. That's what he does when he gets somebody answering back at him," as per The Independent. 

Despite Charles's reservations about having another boy, Diana was a doting mother to Harry and her firstborn, Prince William. Though the boys were born into royalty, the late princess wished for a normal upbringing for them, and in many ways, she redefined motherhood, defying many royal rules in the process. But Harry was 12 years old when Diana died, and though memories might be blurred, he can still clearly visualize his mother's infectious laugh. 

In the first episode of the Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries, the Duke of Sussex revealed, "I don't have many early memories of my mum. It was almost like, internally, I sort of blocked them out. But I always remember her laugh, her cheeky laugh. She always said, 'You can get in trouble, just don't get caught.' I'll always be that cheeky person inside."