Prince Harry’s nearly hour-long visit with King Charles last week — their first face-to-face since early 2024 — appears to done some good amid the royal family’s enduring rift.
Ailsa Anderson, a former spokeswoman for the late Queen Elizabeth II, told People that the 53-minute meeting last Wednesday was “a building of trust” and therefore, “a massive step in the right direction.”
Another royal insider, connected both to estranged brothers Harry and William, regarded the reunion as “a good starting point” that “shows the way forward.”
The Duke of Sussex and the 76-year-old monarch last came together in February 2024, on the heels of Charles making public his diagnosis with cancer. His daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, announced her own diagnosis weeks later, though she has now confirmed she’s in remission.
After leaving last week’s meeting, Harry told a reporter that his father was “great, thank you,” but declined to offer any other details.
Robert Hardman, who wrote “The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy,” told People that Harry’s continued silence on the meeting would be what would ensure another. Harry publicly discussing it, however, would mean “it will be a very long time” before another one occurs.
Queen Camilla was present for the February 2024 meeting but sat out of last week’s, which royal author Sally Bedell Smith said signified that Harry “could be trusted one-on-one.”
Harry — who described the issue of security as “the sticking point” in the royal family drama — told The Guardian the past week “has definitely brought” him “closer” to bringing his and Meghan Markle’s young family to the U.K.
During the next year, Harry said, “The focus really has to be on my dad.” He also defended his 2023 memoir “Spare,” explaining that his “conscience is clear.”
