Prince Harry finally addressed those longtime rumors that King Charles III isn’t his real father!

In case you didn’t know, the 38-year-old prince’s paternity has been questioned for many years – with many people believing that his dad actually was Princess Diana’s former lover, Major James Hewitt (above left inset). How has the public come to that conclusion? The two men both have red hair, and his late mom had been romantically linked to James for years. (Remember, Charles had been going off with Camilla for quite some time, so Diana was often left alone.)

Related: Prince Harry Admits He & William Begged Charles Not To Marry Camilla!

Now, Prince Harry is setting the record straight once and for all in his upcoming memoir, Spare! According to Page Six, while dealing with the public speculation over who his dad is, the Duke of Sussex accused Charles of making cruel jokes about the situation. He recalled:

“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’d laugh and laugh, thought 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.”

Seriously? Charles would say that to him? What a jerk!

So what’s the truth? Harry insisted that “my mother didn’t meet Major Hewitt until long after I was born.” Per the outlet, Diana and James began their five-year affair after meeting at a dinner party in 1986 — two years after the prince was born!

So there you have it, everyone! James isn’t Harry’s father! Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know!

[Image via MEGA/WENN, WENN]