Prince Harry could be joining his father, King Charles, for an extraordinary joint appearance sooner than the public may think, as crunch talks are under way to bring the two sides together in a public father-and-son event for the first time in six years, reports have claimed. The Duke of Sussex has been estranged from some members of the Royal Family since his sensational exit back in 2020.
Harry’s relationship with his royal relatives went sour after he made several bombshell claims about his life within the Firm. But the frosty affair appeared to be warming up last week, when the Duke met with his father at Clarence House. This face-to-face happened weeks after his aides were seen having a meeting with those of the King in London earlier in the summer, in what was seen as the first step on a path to reconciliation in the future. Now, reports have claimed that courtiers in both households are working hard to devise a plan to resolve the royal crisis.
Part of the high-level talks reportedly underway involves gradually bringing father and son back together in a “public show of unity”.
The Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffith’s wrote: “In the strongest indication yet that the Duke of Sussex is making positive steps towards a reconciliation with senior royals, it is understood that courtiers in both households are tentatively discussing how to get father and son together more frequently over the next year, with a view to them finally appearing jointly at a public event.
According to the newspaper, the cautious plans for a possible future reconciliation included Harry agreeing to keep a low profile during Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK “as a goodwill gesture” to his father and the Duke possibly attending more public events in Britain despite not being a working royal.
Sources claimed the prince is “hopeful” of mending his relationship with Prince William, despite their ongoing feud, while he is also said to be “realistic” regarding the reputational damage caused by his actions over the last few years.
The Duke of Sussex’s office declined to comment and Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
Harry spent around 55 minutes at Clarence House sharing private tea with the King last Wednesday.
No details of the meeting were disclosed, and the Duke did not share anything during his interview with the Guardian a few days later.
But he did stress that the focus should be on his father now more than ever.
He told the newspaper: “The focus really has to be on my dad.”