The Duke of Sussex has hit out at a report which claimed he was left surprised by the “distinctly formal” tone of his 55-minute meeting with King Charles earlier this month
Prince Harry has slammed a report that claimed he was surprised by the tone of the visit with King Charles(Image: Getty Images)
Prince Harry has blasted a report suggesting he was taken aback by a “distinctly formal” meeting with King Charles, labelling it as “categorically false.”
During a 55-minute meeting at Clarence House earlier this month, the Duke of Sussex presented his father with a framed photograph. This marked the first time Harry had seen Charles since February 2024, during his four-day visit to the UK.
Despite having a tense relationship with other members of the royal family since moving to the United States, Harry has hit out at a report from The Sun which implied he was caught off guard by the formality of his meeting with the King.
The report suggested that the meeting was “distinctly formal”, leaving the 41-year-old prince so surprised that he joked about it feeling more like “an official visitor” to the royal residence, the Mirror reports.
However, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex stated today: “Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting, is categorically false.”
“The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son. Presumably, those same sources have also chosen to disclose that gifts were exchanged.”
Harry’s meeting with the King was said to be “distinctly formal”(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however the image did not contain the Duke and Duchess,” the statement concluded.
In a statement, a Sun spokesperson acknowledged that Harry “confirms the exchange of gifts, including a family photograph.” They described the paper’s story as a a “carefully-sourced account of the meeting,” adding: “We have today updated the online article to include his new statement.”
Harry and Charles were reported to have given each other a kiss on the cheek on arrival whilst also swapping presents during their meeting at Clarence House. The Duke gave his dad the framed photograph, while His Majesty gave Harry a birthday present – as he was due to celebrate his 41st birthday just six days later.
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The King, 76, has not seen his young grandchildren – Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – since the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 and Harry had insisted it was not safe for them to fly back to the UK.
However, in the recent interview with The Guardian, Harry declared: “The focus really has to be on my dad… I have always loved the UK and I always will love the UK.”
Meanwhile, there seems to be no indication of Harry resuming royal duties, despite earlier speculation there was a possibility he’d take on a hybrid “half-in, half-out” position with The Firm.