Prince Harry’s Sept. 10 sit-down with his estranged dad, King Charles III, appeared to go off without a hitch. The two men, who hadn’t seen each other since February 2024, had tea at Charles’ Clarence House residence in London and chatted amicably for nearly an hour. A few days after the promising get-together, Harry told The Guardian he was hoping to spend more time in the U.K. in the not-so-distant future.
Then the whispers began. Initially, there was talk that Harry, 41, was going to be welcomed back as a working royal on a part-time basis based on how well his reunion with Charles, 76, went. Then royal insiders told The Times Charles had made it clear that Harry, 41, could never have a “half-in, half-out” royal role. (Original reports suggested Harry could help “lighten the load” for Charles — a clear dig aimed at Harry’s brother, Prince William, 43, amid growing tension between Charles and the future king about how to run the monarchy.)
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Soon after, The Sun cited sources claiming Harry had complained about his meeting with Charles (who is fighting cancer) behind the scenes, describing it as overly “formal” and saying that he felt more like an “official visitor” than a cherished family member. Harry quickly hit back through a spokesperson, saying the claims were “categorically false” and invented by “sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son.” On Sept. 27, The Daily Mail reported Harry had lashed out against “the men in gray suits” — better known as royal courtiers, the highly influential staffers and members of the royal household who support the monarchy and often control the narrative from behind palace doors — for interfering in his relationship with Charles.
It’s an all-out war between Harry’s camp and William’s camp as courtiers from both sides work furiously to disparage the other. “William is one of the people working against Harry. And Harry has his own palace sources who are helping him,” a source tells Star. “There’s always been court intrigue, and it’s still alive and doing its thing in 2025.”
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In Control
Harry has made no secret of his distrust of the royal court. In his 2023 memoir, Spare, he wrote he’d spent his life “dealing with courtiers, scores of them” before contending with a trio of them in 2020, when he and wife Meghan Markle, 44, left their royal duties. “All middle-aged white men,” he wrote, “who’d managed to consolidate power through a series of bold Machiavellian maneuvers.”
His late mother, Princess Diana, also described courtiers as “men in gray suits” claiming they meddled in her divorce from Charles. “Diana felt they tried to hold her back as her marriage to Charles was collapsing,” says the source. “So it’s no surprise Harry doesn’t trust their intentions.”
The source says Harry is frustrated by all the secret plotting. On Sept. 26, The Sun claimed the dad of two was surprised by how business-like his reunion with his father had been, also noting that Harry had gifted Charles a framed family photo. “The quotes attributed to [Harry] are pure invention,” said his spokesperson the following day, pointing out that the same source reported the friendly exchange of gifts. (The rep confirmed a framed photo that didn’t contain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — and likely featured their two kids, Archie, 6, and Lili, 4 — had been handed over.) “It’s rare that Harry makes a public statement but he couldn’t just sit and let these so-called insiders sabotage everything he’s worked for in the last year,” says the source. “He’s desperate to reconcile with his father and he’s very encouraged by the meeting they had. It’s been baby steps but they’re getting there.”
James Whatling
Fighting Fire With Fire
Team William doesn’t think Harry’s innocent — and believes his team planted stories about Harry being welcomed back as a part-time working royal. (As for grudges over Harry telling all in Spare, Harry said in mid-September that while the book’s message was “difficult,” his “conscience is clear.”) “It’s no secret William is dead set against reconciliation,” says the source. “Harry’s way of retaliating is to put it out there that he could help relieve Charles of the massive workload if he were to rejoin the royals, implying William isn’t doing enough.”
William has Charles’ ear — for now. “Harry would like to see William be more supportive, but William continues to have influence over their father,” says the source. “It’s not at all comforting knowing one’s own brother wants you gone and to stay gone. But Harry will not give up.”
This story Prince Harry ‘Very Encouraged’ After Meeting With King Charles III: ‘They’re Getting There’ first appeared on Star. Add Star as a Preferred Source by clicking here.