Prince Harry and King Charles might have just made a move to mend their relationship. Senior aides for the Prince of Sussex and King Charles secretly met in London for an informal chat. This meeting signals the first real olive branch toward healing the British royal family.
A royal source reportedly shared that the informal talks, held at the Royal Over-Seas League, had no formal agenda but allowed both parties to open a “channel of communication for the first time in years,” according to the Daily Mail. “There were things both sides wanted to talk about.”
Harry’s recent BBC interview, where he said the door to “reconciliation” remains open, may have sparked this first step in the right direction.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry, 40, said.
In 2020, the rift became public when Harry and Meghan Markle, 43, stepped back from their royal duties as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and later spoke out several times including a much-publicized interview with Oprah, a six-part Netflix docuseries, which became the streamer’s most watched documentary debut, and Harry’s memoir ‘Spare’ where he reportedly made $25 million. Throughout the media blitz, the couple cited ill treatment from the palace and media toxicity that affected Meghan’s mental health and Harry’s feeling of being considered secondary in the royal household.
The couple moved their family to the U.S. that year, where they are currently raising their kids, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, in California away from the monarchy.
A royal source adds there is a “long road ahead,” and the conversation is only the first step toward mending the bitter family feud. “Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk,” the source told the outlet.
Harry was represented by Meredith Maines, his chief communications officer and head of his household in Montecito, California.
While Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, stood in for Charles, talking over “casual drinks” just a three-minute walk from Clarence House, the monarch’s London residence. Liam Maguire, the Sussexes’ PR team in the UK, was present for the private conversation.