Prince Harry was in London a few weeks ago to attend the 20th WellChild Awards, a ceremony he never misses and an organization of which he has been patron for 17 years. It was a rare opportunity to return to Harry’s native land, and, even more notably, a long-awaited reunion with his father, King Charles III, whom he had not seen for 19 months. The meeting, held at Clarence House, lasted just 50 minutes: a “private tea” between father and son, the first step to mending the relationship between the monarch and his second-born son, which has been beyond tense since Harry’s dramatic 2020 departure from the U.K. and his position as a senior working royal.
But the fact that this meeting took place does not change the Firm’s official position: “Any suggestion that the prince might return in a more formal capacity has been rejected,” The Independent reported. There is no question of a half-hearted return to the family, or an “à la carte” role. A royal source quoted by the paper confirmed that King Charles is toeing the line set by his mother, Elizabeth II: “The King has been absolutely clear in upholding his late mother’s decision that there can be no ‘half-in, half-out’ public role for members of the family.”
A decision that seems to suit the 41-year-old prince perfectly. Now settled in California with wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, Harry is cultivating a life away from the palace, a life he says is fulfilling.
This does not mean, however, that family tensions have been laid to rest. In an interview with the BBC last May, Harry expressed a desire for appeasement: “I don’t know how much time my father has left. He doesn’t want to talk to me anymore because of these security issues, but it would be nice if we could get together.”
These security issues are at the heart of a dispute between Harry and the British Home Office. Since he renounced his status as an active member of the royal family, he is no longer entitled to police protection—a decision he is contesting. After two days of hearings and an appeal earlier this summer, the verdict remains unchanged: his request for a reassessment of the security arrangements has been rejected. “I don’t want history to repeat itself,” he insisted to the BBC, referring to the fatal accident involving his mother, the late Princess Diana. “I think there’s a lot of other people out there, the majority, that also don’t want history to repeat itself. But through the disclosure process, I’ve discovered that some people do want history to repeat itself, which is pretty dark.”
Yet the door to appeasement doesn’t seem completely closed. According to the Mail on Sunday, “tentative” discussions are taking place between Buckingham Palace and Prince Harry’s staff, with a goal of a possible rapprochement. A joint public appearance could even be in the cards, according to the newspaper. Is the familial hatchet about to be buried?
Originally published in Vanity Fair France.