Since abandoning his Royal responsibilities in 2020, Prince Harry has made countless decisions that have sparked friction with the Royal Family, with the divide continuing to widen.
Over the last five years, the Duke of Sussex, 40, has publicly slammed the monarchy on multiple occasions, particularly in the 2022 Netflix documentary Harry and Meghan, and in his bombshell 2023 memoir Spare.
However, from 2024 onward, when both King Charles and Kate Middleton were diagnosed with cancer, Harry seemed to have stepped back from his public assaults on the Firm – until recently.
After his failed legal battle over the scaling back of his taxpayer-funded security detail, Harry sat down with the BBC where he launched fresh allegations against the Firm.
Royal commentator Robert Hardman believes this triggered “considerable irritation” within the Palace, reports the Mirror.
He observed that in March 2023, when the King embarked on the first overseas state visit of his reign to Germany, his youngest son had “unexpectedly” and “unnecessarily” returned to London to watch the “preliminaries” of one of his court cases.
Robert also highlighted that Harry did this again during the start of the King’s state visit to Italy in 2025. Additionally, the duke is said to have made a “surprise appearance” in Shanghai during a conference on sustainable tourism a few weeks later, as his father flew to Canada.
Harry is set to return to the UK to attend the WellChild charity’s 20th annual Awards ceremony at the end of September. As a Patron of the charity, Harry said ahead of the event, “It is a true privilege to honor the bravery and compassion of this incredible community.”
Speculation of a potential UK meet-up with Charles, 76, first intensified after a private meeting between close aides from the two sides earlier this summer. According to former Royal editor Duncan Larcombe, a meeting with the King might be the only opportunity Harry has to inch open the door for him and Meghan to be allowed back into the family fold.
“From what I’ve heard, Harry is quite keen to see his father. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. But him coming over to England is at least a chance for them to meet, and start the process of trying to build bridges,” Duncan told the Mirror. “It would have to be done in absolute private, behind closed doors, because there’s simply been too much played out in public, and that has to end if anything is to be repaired.”