Prince Harry’s decision to respond to claims he found the reunion with his father King Charles “formal” could have been a mistake, a royal expert has said. Just weeks after the Duke of Sussex reconciled with his father in the UK last month for what was their first face-to-face meeting since February 2024, sources claimed that Harry, 41, found the meeting “official”.
While Harry, who quit royal life in 2020, could have ignored such claims, instead, he wanted to set the record straight. His spokesperson released a statement on the prince’s behalf, saying: “Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting, is categorically false.
“The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son.”
The spokesperson also said that reports of what gifts were exchanged were wrong.
Shortly afterwards, another source close to the prince blamed the “men in grey suits” for the inaccurate information about the meeting.
While Harry may have believed a statement offering clarity would help solve the inaccurate claims, a royal expert believes it may have actually made matters worse as it has given the issue more publicity.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “I think the most critical thing to remember about all of this is that at the heart of all the noise, there is a father and son trying to repair their relationship. It is a difficult and delicate task.”
She continued: “In the face of speculation, Harry presumably instructed his team to issue a rebuttal about one or two basic points.
“It might have been better if he had resisted that provocation because anything and everything he says draws more publicity about this very private meeting.”
Since the meeting at Clarence House in September, neither Harry or the King, 76, have disclosed what was discussed.
Instead, Harry simply said that his focus for the coming year will be on his “dad”, suggesting that more meetings between father-and-son, who have had a turbulent relationship over recent years, are on the cards.