IS HARRY PLANNING AN ESCAPE TO NEW YORK?

Charles' secret New York bolthole could provide a safe haven for his son

When the King's public relations team quashed reports he'd secretly snapped up a $9.8 million apartment in Manhattan's Billionaires' Row in July, the story quickly disappeared. But last week, murmurings of the million-dollar hideaway resurfaced again, begging the question, why is King Charles so at pains to keep the purchase a secret?

It's not unusual for the British royal family to own property in other countries, which are often used as official residences for Commonwealth consulates, and this could be the reason for Charles' purchase. Indeed, at the time of her death in 2022 it was reported the late Queen Elizabeth II had amassed an impressive real estate portfolio in the American city with 24 residences across Manhattan.

ESCAPE ROUTE

But another growing theory is that the King, 75, could've bought the property as an olive branch of sorts for his son Prince Harry, 39, while he navigates difficulties in his marriage to Duchess Meghan.

"There's no doubt a big change is going on for Harry and Meghan. Everything they do, everything they try, rarely does it work out how they want it and the cracks have been showing for some time.