NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Prince\u00a0Harry<\/a>\u00a0is heading to the U.K. early next month<\/a>, raising speculation that he could meet with his father,\u00a0King Charles<\/a>,\u00a0for the first time in 18 months.\n<\/p>\n The Duke of Sussex, 40, who is estranged from his father and brother,\u00a0Prince William<\/a>, 43, has made no secret of his desire to begin steps towards a rapprochement amid their deep and lasting rift. Whether his family will make time for him is still very much in question, though. Father and son have not met in person since February 2024, days after King Charles, 76, revealed he was being\u00a0treated for an undisclosed cancer<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Harry will be\u00a0in London\u00a0on Sept. 8, the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother\u00a0Queen Elizabeth<\/a>, for the annual\u00a0WellChild<\/a>\u00a0Awards. It is an engagement he cherishes and one which highlights his commitment to, and empathy for, children with long-term health challenges and the families who care for them. He is unlikely to have his wife,\u00a0Meghan Markle<\/a>, 44, or their children, children,\u00a0Prince Archie<\/a>, 6, and\u00a0Princess Lilibet<\/a>, 4, with him.\n<\/p>\n The days each side of his date in London would, it seems, present a chance for him to head up to Balmoral Castle, Scotland, where the King will likely still be based, to see his father if he\u2019s invited.\n<\/p>\n King Charles and Prince Harry in the days before the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022.<\/p>\n Jeff J Mitchell – WPA Pool\/Getty<\/p>\n The tight-lipped royals have not said at any point recently that they would like to meet with Prince Harry. When the Duke of Sussex was last in the U.K. for family events, like the\u00a0funeral of his uncle Lord Robert Fellowes<\/a>\u00a0last August (which Prince William also attended, although the brothers remained separated), or official events over the last 18 months, he has not met with them.\n<\/p>\n He was also in London for the Invictus Games\u2019 10th\u00a0anniversary in May last year, when King Charles was hosting an event only a few miles away, and in September 2024 for the last WellChild Awards. He returned again in April<\/a> for the resumption and conclusion of his appeal over the removal of his taxpayer-funded security.\n<\/p>\n The family strains initially burst into the public sphere when he stepped back from frontline royal life with Meghan and started a new life in California, where they are now raising their children, Archie and Lilibet.\n<\/p>\n King Charles and Prince Harry in April 2019.<\/p>\n Samir Hussein\/Samir Hussein\/WireImage<\/p>\n That chasm deepened with bombshell interviews, including one with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry and Meghan\u2019s Netflix docuseries and Harry\u2019s best-selling memoir\u00a0Spare, which\u00a0alleged a physical altercation<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Prince William. The book also excoriated\u00a0Queen Camilla<\/a>, 78, and his upbringing by King Charles. With that in mind, longtime royal biographer\u00a0Sally Bedell Smith<\/a>\u00a0has summed up their issue, telling PEOPLE in June, \u201cThe underlying issue is trust. The King and William don\u2019t trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The rift has been so deep that Harry said in May that\u00a0they don’t have any communication\u00a0<\/a>and, sadly and bluntly, admitted that he doesn’t “know how much longer my father has.”\n<\/p>\n Prince Harry arriving at court in London in April 2025.<\/p>\n Belinda Jiao\/Getty<\/p>\n A major stumbling block has been the legal case Prince Harry was fighting against the U.K. government over the removal of his official, taxpayer-funded security. He\u00a0lost that appeal\u00a0<\/a>in May. Immediately after the decision was made, the Duke of Sussex spoke to\u00a0BBC News<\/a>\u00a0and said he “would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”\n<\/p>\n Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?\u00a0Sign up for our free Royals newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n With the legal case out of the way, Prince Harry’s new aides and one of King Charles’ key staffers\u00a0met for the first time<\/a>\u00a0in July, opening up channels of communication. The meeting was viewed by some insiders as an olive branch that could pave the way for better relations.\n<\/p>\n Most people close to the royal family believe it will take a lot more for Prince William and Prince Harry to mend their bridges.\n<\/p>\n Prince Harry in London in April 2025.<\/p>\n James Manning\/PA Images via Getty<\/p>\n Some\u00a0close\u00a0royal observers and insiders believe King Charles,\u00a0a practising Christian and head of the\u00a0Church of England and a longtime advocate for unity, should take the first step. But he has been coping with facing a life-threatening illness and, of course, is head of the institution that Prince Harry has criticized in his books and interviews.\n<\/p>\n