Royal correspondent Robert Jobson has claimed that Prince Harry’s decision to leave the Royal Family behind for a life in the US with wife Meghan Markle hurt King Charles the most, due to his longstanding closeness with his youngest son.

In Jobson’s new book, Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography: Discover the truth behind the headlines, it has also been revealed that Charles “tried to reach out to Meghan and treated her with the same love and affection as he did Catherine”. The author further states that the King “welcomed her with open arms”, making the events following Megxit even more of a bitter pill to swallow for the monarch.

Jobson goes on to hint that Harry has always been Charles’s favourite son, which is why his and Meghan’s controversial choices, including the Duke’s tell-all memoir Spare and the couple’s Netflix documentary about their grievances over Royal life, devastated him.

An extract from the latest biography about Princess Kate reads: “At first Charles tried to reach out to Meghan and treated her with the same love and affection as he did Catherine. But they are very different characters.

“He welcomed her with open arms and wanted her to feel part of the family. That is why Harry and Meghan’s behaviour has cut him to the quick.” Jobson claims the one positive gained from the difficult situation is the fact that it’s pushed Charles and his heir, William, closer together.

The book continues: “Before this all happened, Charles was much closer to his second son than to William.

“But if there is a positive to be taken from the Sussexes’ departure, it is that William and his father are now closer than they were before, perhaps more than they have ever been.”

A source also added that William’s wife Kate has assisted him in understanding his father “better” in recent years.

They claimed: “The duchess is somebody who always tries to see both sides of any dispute. She has a cool head and is ‘emotionally mature’; she can open William’s eyes to other points of view like no other.”

Express.co.uk has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.

The last time Harry met with his father was shortly after the King revealed he was battling cancer, and the Duke remains estranged from his family.

During the ITV documentary 'Tabloids on Triall', which aired earlier this month, Harry cited his reason for not wanting to bring his wife and their children, five-year-old Prince Archie and three-year-old Princess Lilibet, to the UK to visit the King.

The father of two cited "genuine concerns" for their safety and claimed that "all it takes is one lone actor".

Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography: Discover the truth behind the headlines by Robert Jobson is available to buy here from August 1.