Prince Harry met with his father King Charles in a short 50-minute visit in September, making it the first face-to-face visit since 2024 amid strained relationships
12:06, 30 Dec 2025Updated 12:20, 30 Dec 2025
Prince Harry and King Charles have struggled with a strained relationship since his move to the US
Prince Harry met with his father King Charles once this year during a short visit that lasted a mere 50 minutes. While there was speculation the Duke of Sussex had set up the meeting himself, his publicist was the one who set the get-together up.
Meredith Maines, who was appointed at the end of 2024 to lead the press and media operations for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has announced she is stepping down from the role after just a year working for the couple. It’ll come as a blow to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after Maines becomes the eleventh PR officer in just five years to have left their employments with the Sussexes.
Maines was seen meeting the King’s press secretary, Tobyn Andreae, in July, a move which is believed to have paved the way for Harry to briefly see his father in September. It was their first face to face meeting since February 2024.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s statement in FULL as PR guru quits their charityREAD MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s key staff member quits in latest blow to pair
Meredith Maines has announced she is stepping down from her position with the Sussexes(Image: Linkedin)
The secret talks were held at a private members’ club just minutes from Clarence House, and have been tipped as a crucial “first step” in what insiders believed could be a “rapprochement process” between the estranged Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family.
Also in the secret meeting was Liam Maguire, who heads up the Sussexes’ UK PR team, as the trio held what one insider described as “informal drinks” in the scorching sunshine on the club’s garden terrace. A source close to the situation told MailOnline: “There was no formal agenda. But both sides came to the table ready to talk. It’s the first real channel of communication we’ve seen in years.”
Maines, dressed in a sleek cream jacket, heels, and clutching a black Louis Vuitton bag, reportedly jetted back to the Sussexes’ £15 million Montecito mansion straight after the summit, where it’s thought she gave Harry a full briefing.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King had a private tea with his son, the Duke of Sussex, during a visit to the royal residence that lasted about 50 minutes in September. Afterwards he said of the King “yes, he’s great” in response to reporters’ questions.
The father and son last had a face to face meeting in September(Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Prince Harry had spoken emotionally in a BBC interview in May about wanting to rebuild relationships, saying: “I would love a reconciliation with my family.”
The last time that they were together was soon after the King’s cancer diagnosis last year, with Prince Harry flying to the UK for a brief meeting. There have been visits to the UK by the prince since then, including for court cases, but he had not seen his father, in what has seemed a sometimes difficult relationship.
A source close to Maines told ITV News she had quit a few weeks ago having decided it was “time to go”. The source added that Maines had “accomplished a lot this year” with the Sussexes and has been helping the couple with the “transition period”.
The PR executive is understood to have a new career opportunity which will be announced in the coming weeks. There has been some chat among some the Sussex team that Maines was not the right fit as she had a venture capital and tech background.
But sources close to the former Communications Chief pointed to her past experience with the Hulu streaming platform, owned by Disney, and denied her professional background was not suited to Harry and Meghan’s needs.
Maines had previously authorised an interview Harry did after his court defeat that was widely criticised. It was thought to have further deepened the rift with his family after he spoke about Charles’ cancer diagnosis.
Maines’ deputy, Liam Maguire, who is based in the UK and was predominantly focused on Prince Harry’s work, has been asked to step up as Chief Communications Officer for both the Duke and Duchess.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s ‘rock’ quits huge job as they suffer fresh blow