Prince Harry is expected to meet his father, King Charles, for the first time in 20 months when he returns to Britain in two weeks’ time
King Charles and Prince Harry
Prince Harry is set to see his father, King Charles, for the first time in 20 months when he returns to Britain in two weeks – though Prince William has turned down any reconciliation with his brother.
The warming of relations between the Duke of Sussex and the monarch follows an unofficial peace summit with Buckingham Palace officials.
Harry is anticipated in London on September 8 – the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death – to attend the WellChild Awards, a charity event he has consistently championed.
Read more Meghan Markle takes swipe at ‘silly’ royal rule she had to follow ‘all the time’
The date represents the Duke’s first visit since his unsuccessful appeal against the reduction of his security protection in the UK.
Meanwhile, the King is in the UK and doesn’t have a scheduled foreign visit until later in September, clearing the path for father and son to meet face-to-face for the first time since February 2024, reports the Mirror.
The pair haven’t seen each other since January last year, a period during which His Majesty has been receiving treatment for cancer.
A US source told the Mirror: “It’s clear there is now a determination on both sides to make this happen. Nobody is pretending the wider family issues have been resolved, but this is about beginning with Charles and Harry.
“For the first time in a long time, there’s a genuine sense that reconciliation is within reach. Prince Harry’s team and the Palace have opened a line of communication, and there is every hope that father and son will see one another when the Duke returns to London in September.”
They continued: “After 20 months apart, and with the King continuing his treatment, the feeling is that the time is right to take that step.
“This is not about grand gestures or set-piece meetings – it’s about a simple face-to-face conversation between a father and his son.
“The priority is privacy and dignity, but also ensuring the door stays open for further dialogue. As for Harry and William, though, any chance of reconciliation between them has been rejected out of hand.”
Despite the potential encounter, it is believed Harry’s spouse, Meghan Markle, will continue her voluntary absence from Britain, choosing to remain in California with the pair’s two youngsters, Archie and Lilibet.
Charles has not seen his grandchildren since June 2022, when the Sussexes travelled back for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee festivities.
Last month, Harry’s head of communications, Meredith Maines, held talks with the King’s press secretary Tobyn Andreae at the Royal Overseas League in London.
Liam Maguire, who manages the Sussexes’ UK media relations, was also present at the gathering, which was viewed as a significant move towards establishing communication.
The conversations covered the prospect of Harry receiving direct briefings on his father’s wellbeing and arrangements to prevent conflicts between Sussex initiatives and Royal duties.
In May, the Duke spoke openly about his distress during a BBC interview, revealing he felt “devastated” following his unsuccessful legal battle to maintain police protection whilst in Britain.
He told the broadcaster he “would love a reconciliation” with his family but expressed frustration that the King “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”
He said he didn’t want to continue fighting and added: “I do not know how much longer my father has.”
Despite that public plea, there has been minimal personal communication. The Duchess of Sussex and their children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, have chosen to remain in the States following the prince’s previous comments that he “can’t see a world” in which he could bring his children to Britain without adequate security protection.
Whilst the King has shown readiness to reconcile, relations between Harry and the Prince of Wales remain severely damaged.
A separate source revealed: “William feels Harry has repeatedly chosen public exposure over private resolution and that the Royal Family can’t keep being dragged into the headlines every time there’s a new contract to promote.
“The issue with Harry, as well as Meghan, is one of trust. Ever since moving to North America, they have eroded all confidence in their ability to keep things or their criticisms private.
“For there to be any chance of moving forward, that trust has to be rebuilt, and Team Sussex knows the onus is on them.”
Since withdrawing from Royal responsibilities in 2020, Harry and Meghan have launched sustained attacks on the monarchy.
Their March 2021 sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, during which they made allegations of racism within the institution and revealed Meghan had contemplated suicide, triggered global uproar.
Their Netflix documentary series in 2022 levelled accusations of “unconscious bias” at the palace and claimed officials leaked stories to journalists, whilst Harry’s tell-all book Spare, released in early 2023, alleged that William had physically assaulted him during an argument about Meghan and accused Queen Camilla of briefing journalists against him to enhance her public standing.
Whilst Charles has been portrayed as “deeply saddened” by the couple’s claims, the monarch has repeatedly maintained an open door policy towards reconciliation.
In contrast, William is understood to have taken a more uncompromising position, believing there is minimal chance of repairing the fractured relationship.
Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
King Charles and Prince Harry