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Is Prince Charles jealous over Will and Kate?
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Is Prince Charles jealous over Will and Kate?

Queen invites royal couple to Scottish estate

  • Queen Elizabeth II has invited Prince William and his new bride, Kate Middleton, to vacation at the royal estate of Balmoral, Scotland.
    paulafunnell/FlickrQueen Elizabeth II has invited Prince William and his new bride, Kate Middleton, to vacation at the royal estate of Balmoral, Scotland.

Perhaps it is an offer better made before Kate Middleton agreed to become the future queen of England.

The British monarch has reportedly asked Prince William and his new bride to spend time at royal family HQ — Balmoral Castle in Scotland — this summer so that Her Majesty can "get to know" the new crown princess.

And if the U.K. tabloid the Mirror is to be believed, the open invitation to the glamorous couple ought to give Prince Charles even more reason for worry.

The prince — the queen's heir and eldest son — has reportedly expressed concern over couple's recent tour of North America. His reasoning, according to the Mirror? They "focused too much on media coverage and not on the serious reasons behind the tour."

Deep down, the paper writes, Charles fears that the Wills and Kate Show will "overshadow the worthy work of other senior royals."

Even worse:

Sources close to Charles, 62, say that on the one hand he is ­delighted the couple received the same welcome he and Princess Diana got on their 1983 Canada tour.

But he also drew a comparison with his grueling 11-day visit to Canada with Camilla two years ago which attracted small crowds and modest coverage.

Royal author Phil Dampier told the newspaper Charles likely feels "sidelined" by his son.

The paper also reported on concerns of government officials that the young couple could overshadow the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next year.

Perhaps a quiet word when the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Balmoral? The queen will need to make it quick, as the couple — who broke with royal tradition by not spending some part of their honeymoon at Balmoral — will only make it up to Balmoral for a weekend, the Telegraph reports.

This article originally appeared on GlobalPost.

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