The Duke of Sussex will be in London this week to attend the annual WellChild Awards on September 8 and it is widely believed he may meet his estranged father, King Charles. If a reconcilliation is on the agenda, a royal expert has claimed Prince Harry needs to do one thing to obtain his trust.
As reported in the Daily Mirror, royal biographer, Tom Bower, said: “The hurdle Harry is facing is huge, to somehow persuade his father that what he did is in the past. I think he will be too stubborn to apologise, because that’s not what he believes, he thinks he has behaved correctly. He simply doesn’t realise the consequences of what he has done.”
He added: “The question Charles will be asking is, ‘Can I trust my son?’ and, from Harry’s side, he will be focused on persuading his father he can be trusted, because he has to find a way back into Britain.”
There has no been no official word from either side about a potential meeting. The talk of possible reconciliation ramped up following the meeting in July between senior aides from the King’s office and representatives from Harry and Meghan’s communications team.
US-based Meredith Maines, of the Sussexes’ PR team, and her UK counterpart Liam Maguire were photographed on the balcony of a private members’ club in central London with the King’s communication secretary.
Mr Bower added: “If they meet, it is a beginning but there is a long way to go towards repairing relations to anything close to normal.
“Charles and Harry will hope they can speak, but the elephant in the room is what has happened since he and Meghan stepped down. It will need a few meetings to get the atmosphere down.”
It will be the first time the King, 76, has been in the same room as his youngest son in more than 18 months. Prince Harry flew to the UK to meet Charles at Clarence House after the public announcement of his cancer diagnosis in 2024 – but the meeting only lasted 45-minutes.
In August 2024, Harry attended a memorial service for his uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes. The Prince of Wales was also there, although the brothers reportedly did not speak to each other.
In May 2024, he took part in a service for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, a sporting competition for injured servicemen and women which he helped found.
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, no longer have an official UK residence, after being asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed property on the Windsor estate.