Many had hoped that peace talks were on the agenda for Prince Harry and King Charles. A source told OK! Magazine that Harry should be wrapping up his visit to Germany for the Invictus Games around the same time that the King is due to return to London from Scotland.
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17 September was floated as a possible date for this rumoured reconciliation, as the King has a rescheduled official visit to France planned on 20 September. However, there are now claims that there is one very important person who will never allow the pair to meet and make up.
When were King Charles and his sons last together?
As the saying goes, there’s nothing like a death to bring the family together. The last time King Charles, Prince Harry and Prince William were all together in the same place, it was for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022. As Prince Harry details in his controversial memoir Spare, he had a ‘secret meeting’ afterwards with King Charles and the very person who will never allow for things to go back to how they were: Prince William.
Why will Prince William stand in the way of a reconciliation?
Prince Harry says that his brother arrived at this meeting ‘ready for a fight’. The Independent reports that their father was forced to mediate his son’s heated exchange, saying: ‘Please boys, don’t make my final years a misery’.
Spare arrived on our bookshelves in January 2023, giving fans of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary more juicy details about royal rifts and rejection. Prince William reportedly took the claims made against him and his wife - and the way they raise their three children - very badly.
OK! Magazine’s source explained that Prince William had grown up very close to his brother, so felt extremely ‘betrayed’ by this public outing of private issues. The publication says that reports state the King is open to communication while there is ‘no chance’ that Prince William will forgive his brother.
Read more:Prince Harry and Meghan: The couple set to be in the spotlight while Royal Family takes time off
The King wants Prince Harry to return
Despite having Harry’s Royal Highness title stripped from the Royal Family website, King Charles reportedly would like to see Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet back in the UK. Richard Palmer, a royal correspondent,has said he is ‘sure the King would welcome them back’.
Even after Prince Harry’s memoir - which included some jabs at Queen Camilla - made its splash, the King still seemed to hold a soft spot for his second son. He visited the University of East London in February 2023, one month after the release of Spare, where a bystander asked him whether Prince Harry was going to return to the UK. The Royal Observer reports that he replied with a heartbreaking 4-word response: ‘it would be nice’.
Read more:
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⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as world leaders: Is it so hard to imagine?
Sources used:
The Royal Observer: Revealed: King Charles' 4-Word Reply When Asked If Prince Harry Can Return to the Monarchy One Day
Independent: King Charles and Prince Harry ‘peace talks’ are reportedly not happening