Prince Harry has responded to claims about his recent meeting with King Charles III, accusing sources of trying to undermine his efforts to reconcile with his family. He clarified that he did not present his father with a picture of his wife.
During a four-day trip to the UK earlier this month, the Duke of Sussex, 41, met with Charles, 76, at Clarence House on September 10. This face-to-face meeting was their first in a year and a half.
The 53-minute discussion was regarded as a crucial yet cautious move towards mending the strained relationship between Prince Harry and his family following his departure as a working royal after marrying Meghan Markle.
A source claimed that after the meeting, Harry was ‘surprised’ by its ‘distinctly formal’ nature, joking that he felt more like an ‘official visitor’ than a family member.
But the Duke has today rubbished the claims, saying they are ‘categorically false.’
A spokesperson said: ‘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.
‘Presumably, those same sources have also chosen to disclose that gifts were exchanged.
Prince Harry is understood to be ‘taken by surprise’ by how ‘formal’ his reunion meeting with his father King Charles was
During his visit to the UK, Prince Harry met King Charles, 76, at Balmoral for the first time in a year and a half.
Prince Harry at a Diana Award event in London on September 11 during his recent trip to the UK
‘Although we preferred to keep such details private, for clarification, we can confirm that a framed photograph was exchanged, though it did not include the Duke and Duchess.’
It had been claimed that Harry had given his father a photograph of his children Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, along with their mother the Duchess of Sussex and himself.
Charles has not seen his grandchildren since the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, with Harry previously saying it is not safe for them to travel to the UK. The Sussexes stopped receiving taxpayer-funded security after leaving as working royals.
It was reported that the King also handed a gift to Harry, giving him a 41st birthday present.
It was said there are currently no moves for the pair to be seen in public together or for Harry to return for a ‘half-in, half-out’ hybrid royal role.
But the King still remains open for another private meeting next time Harry is in London.
During his recent visit, the Duke carried out a swathe of visits to charity events in Nottingham and London, before meeting with his father for afternoon tea.
A spokesman for Harry previously told The Sun: ‘The trip back was about focusing on his patronages and supporting his good causes while also having time to catch up with family and friends.’
It had been reported the Duke gave the King a photograph of himself, his wife and their two children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four – but Harry has now said the snap was only of their children
The father and son reunion saw Harry give Charles a framed photograph of himself with his wife, Meghan, and the King’s grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet
Until this meeting Harry and Charles had not seen each other face-to-face since February 2024, when the Duke made a transatlantic dash to the UK following the King’s cancer diagnosis.
It was seen as a potential first step towards rapprochement between the pair, after Harry told the BBC in May: ‘I would love a reconciliation with my family.’
Prince Harry did not see his brother William during the four-day trip amid an ongoing row between the estranged brothers, which shows no sign of healing.
Harry has previously expressed his hopes of reconciliation with his family amid his belief that they may never forgive him after his public accusations.
The Prince, who stepped down from the working monarchy in 2020, levelled a barrage of accusations at Kate, William, Charles and his stepmother Queen Camilla in his Oprah Winfrey interview, Netflix documentary, interviews and his autobiography Spare.
Harry previously claimed Charles was jealous of his wife Meghan Markle and the King did not hug him when he told him his mother Princess Diana had died. Harry said he believed the King was ‘never made’ for single parenthood, but ‘to be fair, he tried’.
Charles, according to Harry, pleaded with his sons during a tense meeting after Prince Philip’s funeral: ‘Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery.’
Relations between William and Harry have long been strained despite their former close bond with the shared trauma of their mother’s death in a car crash when they were 15 and 12.
The fallout is said to have begun before Harry’s wedding to former Suits star Meghan, with the Duke accusing William of being snobbish to his bride.
In the interview with Oprah, Meghan described how Kate made her cry ahead of her wedding – after reports had initially said Meghan had left Kate in tears at Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress fitting.
Another account in Harry’s candid autobiography Spare caused friction between the siblings, when he accused William of physically attacking him and pushing him into a dog bowl in a row over Meghan, and teasing him about his panic attacks.
