Prince Harry reunited with his father, King Charles III, in London on Sept. 10, marking their first reported meeting in about 18 months.
The 40-year-old Duke of Sussex was seen arriving by car at Clarence House, the king’s official residence in London, after returning to the U.K. on Sept. 8 for a series of engagements supporting charities and causes. During the visit he paid tribute to his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, visiting her grave at Windsor and laying flowers on the third anniversary of her death. Fox News Digital said it reached out to both Archewell, which handles the Duke’s office, and Buckingham Palace for comment.
The reported encounter is significant against the backdrop of a prolonged rift that began after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from senior royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California. The couple later aired grievances in interviews and documentaries, and Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare, further strained relations by revealing private details about the royal family and sibling rivalry.
Charles, who was publicly diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in 2024, had not been in frequent contact with his son, several sources previously told media outlets. Buckingham Palace announced the diagnosis in February 2024; reports said Harry last saw his father at that time. Royal commentators have said the king did not respond to some of Harry’s calls and letters, though aides have also been reported to have held private discussions in London with the king’s communications team.
In May, Harry told the BBC that he wanted reconciliation with his family. "I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore," he said, adding, "I don’t know how much longer my father has." The Duke’s return to Britain in September followed reports that he quietly offered to share his official engagement schedule with the palace as a gesture to ease tensions, an approach described by the Daily Mail as an olive branch.
The meeting did not include Prince William, the heir apparent. William’s representatives were reportedly absent from what some outlets characterized as a private reconciliation effort, and his team was said not to have been notified. The brothers were last publicly seen together in August 2024 at the funeral of their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, where they kept a distance.
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner, speaking to Fox News Digital, said William remained "extremely angry" with Harry and that there had been reports the future king did not want his father to soften his stance by engaging with Harry. Pelham Turner added that King Charles appeared determined to make his own decisions about family matters and the future of the monarchy. "It is his Christian duty to welcome Harry, Meghan Markle and their family back into the fold," he said.
Reports of the Sept. 10 meeting come amid ongoing public and private efforts at rapprochement, though the details and scope of any agreement were not disclosed by palace officials or the Sussexes’ office. The encounter represents the latest development in a widely watched family dispute that has had public and institutional repercussions for the modern British monarchy.
