ANALYSIS – – King Charles will be in the United States next month for his first visit as monarch.
He and Queen Camilla are embarking on an historic four-day tour in late April that marks the anniversary of American independence, with a state dinner at the White House on the agenda along with a rumoured stop in New York.
But what most people want to know is this: will the King see Prince Harry while he is stateside?
King Charles is heading to the US next month and questions inevitably turn to a possible meeting with Prince Harry. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Or, more intriguingly, will the King see his two young grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet?
The first, and most natural, response when hearing about the King’s planned visit to the country his son now calls home is, ‘of course Charles should see Harry’ and the children.
Or, ‘Harry should see his father – they are going to be so close’. Distance-wise, that is.
Father and son last met, face to face, in September for tea at Clarence House in London, which lasted less than an hour.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live in California, on the other side of the US from where the King will visit. (Instagram/meghan)
The King last saw Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, in June 2022 when the Sussexes travelled to the UK for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
While there, Lili had her first birthday party at Frogmore Cottage, which was Harry and Meghan’s former UK home before the King asked them to hand back the keys.
Meghan has not been back to England since Elizabeth II’s death later that year.
For most ordinary families who have loved-ones living in another country, when another makes the journey to their new place of residence a catch up is the done thing. Family reunions are often high-charged, emotional things.
Prince Harry and Meghan returned to the UK with their children in 2022 for Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. (Arthur Edwards – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
But this is no ordinary family.
A state visit – the highest level of a foreign royal tour – is one that is bound by strict protocol, deadlines and very tight schedules. Every engagement is planned to the minute and free time is almost non-existent. Duty comes first.
Family matters don’t factor in here, regardless of how bizarre the situation may look to outsiders.
While Buckingham Palace has yet to announce the dates US President Donald Trump said, via social media, that Charles and Camilla would make the four-day visit from April 27-30.
The itinerary has not yet been revealed but the King and Queen will likely focus the majority of their trip in Washington D.C., with a rumoured side trip to New York.
The King will travel to Bermuda on the way back to the UK, without the Queen. That leg will see Charles make his first visit as King to a British Overseas Territory and the first visit to the island by a reigning king.
Their Majesties’ state visit to the US is being done on the advice of the UK government and at the invitation of the president Trump.
It has been confirmed after six months of planning, despite calls for the visit to be abandoned amid the outbreak of the Iran war which has led to very public disagreements between the UK and US governments.
In September last year King Charles hosted US President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle during a state visit. (Getty)
But Trump’s affection for the royal family is well-known and the King’s power is in the soft diplomacy only he and the Windsors can deliver.
The King’s visit to the US also comes months after the release of millions of pages of documents by the US Department of Justice in relation to their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The cache of files and emails exposed the close friendship between the King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and the late paedophile.
There have been calls by some US politicians for Andrew to face justice there by testifying to Congress about what he knew about Epstein and his associates. Andrew was arrested in Sandringham last month but has not been charged.
The King’s US tour comes months after the arrest of his brother and the release of the Epstein files. (Reuters)
Many would argue there has never been a more highly-charged time for the King to travel to the US.
While the focus of the state visit will be celebrating the shared history between the two countries, and strengthening ties moving forward, the Harry issue will be bumbling along in the background.
King Charles and Prince Harry are unlikely to see each other during this tour.
The Duke of Sussex is not expected to join his father for any part of the whirlwind visit, nor is the King due to stop in at Harry’s Montecito mansion on the way through.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, seen on the set of their mother’s Netflix show, are not believed to have seen their grandfather since 2022. (Instagram/meghan)
Buckingham Palace has not commented on the matter and nor are they likely to.
We do have confirmation, of sorts, that a reunion won’t take place.
People magazine, a publication known to be friendly with the Sussexes, reports that Prince Harry won’t be seeking out a meeting with the King.
”Harry knows how things are and wouldn’t ask for that either under these circumstances,” a source told the magazine within hours of the tour being confirmed by the palace.
The Duchess of Sussex could travel to the UK later this year with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet depending on security arrangements. (Instagram/ meghan/ aseverofficial)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have lived in California since 2020, when they left their places as senior working royals for a life of financial independence.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s royal exit was the result of long-running tensions between them and the royal family, with the rift only growing wider in the years since.
The Sussexes have spoken endlessly about how unhappy they were in the UK, baring all on Netflix, during interviews and podcasts, while Harry released a tell-all book in 2023.
Prince Harry is fighting to have his security reinstated so he can bring his wife and children back to the UK. (Instagram/@meghan)
He and his brother Prince William are not believed to have spoken in years.
The innocent players in all of this are, of course, Archie and Lilibet. The extent of their relationship with their grandfather King Charles is unknown.
Prince Harry said last year he would not take Meghan or their children back to the UK until their safety is guaranteed. A consequence of the royal exit was that Sussexes lost their automatic right to police protection while in the UK.
Harry took legal action against the UK government and lost, later describing his court defeat as a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up”, partially blaming the royal household for influencing the decision.
After losing his appeal he wrote to the Home Secretary, asking for the decision to be reconsidered.
Prince Harry was last in London in January for the beginning of another privacy court case. (Getty)
A full risk assessment is under way, but a decision has not yet been made.
The Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which authorises security for senior members of the royal family on behalf of the Home Office, is assessing whether or not to reinstate the taxpayer-funded protection for Harry and his family.
Prince Harry is expected to return to the UK in the coming months to launch the one-year countdown event to the next Invictus Games, to be held in Birmingham in 2027.
He is wanting to bring Meghan, who has been at every other major Invictus event since 2017.
If their security issue is sorted in the next few months, it could pave the way for Harry to bring Archie and Lilibet.
And that is when they might reunite with their grandfather.
That scenario is more likely, though it may seem far more complicated than a catch up in the US where Harry and his children currently are.
But, as we all know by now, the Sussexes and the Windsors are not like us.
They are no ordinary family.
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