A reconciliation may be on the cards for King Charles and Prince Harry following reports their senior aides met for a secret peace summit in London. It is not yet clear who initiated the talks, but sources said it may mark the “first step” towards repairing the broken relationship between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the rest of the Royal Family.
According to reports by The Mail on Sunday, the chat was an informal affair at the London private members’ club, the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL), which champions international friendship. A source said: “There’s a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years. There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.”
Harry was represented by Meredith Maines, his chief communications officer and head of his household in Montecito, California, who flew in from Los Angeles.
The King was represented by his communications secretary Tobyn Andreae. Liam Maguire, who runs the Sussexes’ PR team in the UK, was also present.
Ms Maines reportedly arrived at the club with Mr Maguire at 3.50pm on Wednesday, and Mr Andreae arrived several minutes later.
The Mail on Sunday reported they were seen chatting over drinks on the club’s first-floor garden terrace, and they retreated inside after ten minutes.
The source said the summit was only the “first step” but added: “Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk.”
It follows the explosive BBC interview in May when Prince Harry’s appeal to receive automatic Royal security entitlements in the UK was rejected.
The Duke came under fire for bringing the private life of the Royal Family into the public eye, commenting openly on the fraught relationship between himself and King Charles, and his father’s health.
Prince Harry even went so far as to claim it was a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up”. He admitted he “would love a reconciliation” with the Royal Family, but said the King “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff”.