After a meeting between aides of King Charles and Prince Harry in July, could father and son be headed for a much-anticipated reunion in September?
The Duke of Sussex will be in the U.K. in September for duties connected to his role as patron of WellChild, Us Weekly reported, making the meetup at least a possibility. The last time Charles and Harry are thought to have seen each other in person was in February 2024, soon after the King announced his cancer diagnosis on February 5 of that year. Though Harry has visited the U.K. since, he reportedly hasn’t met up with his father.
Prince Harry and Prince Charles on June 9, 2015.
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“I love my family,” Harry said on a Good Morning America appearance soon after his February 2024 visit. “The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that. I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could.”
“I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can,” he added in the same interview.
Harry has been estranged from members of the royal family for years, and after losing an appeal in April to reinstate his government-funded U.K. security, on May 2 the Duke of Sussex gave an emotionally-charged BBC interview where he said of his father the King, “There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him. Not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts [to] do what is necessary.”
Prince Harry on April 8, 2025.
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Elsewhere in the interview, Harry said Charles “won’t speak to me,” and asked for reconciliation, telling the BBC he would “love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has,” referring to the King’s cancer diagnosis. He is still continuing cancer treatment, though the type and stage of the disease has never been publicly disclosed.
Two months later, on July 9, a potential breakthrough: Harry and wife Meghan Markle’s chief communications officer Meredith Maines—who was reportedly in London for routine meetings, per Us Weekly—met up with Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary. Liam Maguire, who serves as the U.K. spokesperson for the Sussexes, was also present at the meeting at the Royal Over-Seas League, a private members’ club just a short walk from the King’s London residence, Clarence House. The Mail on Sunday was the first to report the news of the meetup.
King Charles on November 14, 2024.
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It’s unknown exactly what was discussed in the informal conversation, but People reported that photographs showed what appeared to be “a gift bottle of wine brought by Andreae”—possibly indicating the convivial nature of the private meeting.
People called the summit one that “may mark the first step in a long-overdue thaw between the estranged father and son,” citing insiders that see the gathering as a crucial “first step” in a long road toward reconciliation.
“It was a good first step,” a source told the outlet. “It is always better to be talking.”
Prince Charles and Prince Harry on April 25, 2015.
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People further reported that the meeting was the first time either Maines or Maguire met Andreae, and referenced some close to the palace as downplaying “the long-term significance of the meeting, framing it as a routine professional exchange between senior communications staff who simply need to know and understand one another.”
“Still, the reality remains: this kind of dialogue hasn’t taken place in the recent past—and now, lines of communication appear to be reopening,” the outlet continued.
“It’s a positive step,” the insider added to the publication. “There’s optimism that it can be taken forward.”
Prince Harry on April 9, 2025.
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A source told The Mail on Sunday that the meeting represented a “channel of communication for the first time in years,” and that “There were things both sides wanted to talk about.”
King Charles on April 8, 2025.
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This was only the “first step towards reconciliation between Harry and his father, but at least it is a step in the right direction,” the source continued, adding that while there’s a “long road ahead,” that “everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk.”
It remains to be seen next month if now is the right time for Charles and Harry to, after a long 19 months, see one another face-to-face again.