Prince Harry met King Charles at Clarence House on Wednesday for a private tea, the first face-to-face meeting between the two in about 20 months, Buckingham Palace aides said. The meeting lasted roughly 55 minutes, and shortly after leaving the royal residence the Duke of Sussex told a royal onlooker, "He's great, thank you," when asked how the 76-year-old monarch was doing.
Harry arrived at Clarence House at about 5:20 p.m. local time. The king had flown from Balmoral in Scotland to London and hosted three private audiences on Wednesday, one of which was with his youngest son. Prince William was not present; the elder son of the monarch has not had regular contact with Harry and his wife, Meghan, in recent years.
The meeting came as Harry continues public engagements in the capital. He was later due to host an Invictus Horizons event at the Gherkin in central London, where his arrival was delayed after his vehicle became caught in traffic amid ongoing London subway strikes. The duke said on arrival that the delay had left attendees "all hammered" at the top of the Gherkin, quipping that the hold-up had been part of the plan.
Harry has lived in the United States since 2020 and is no longer provided the blue-light police escort that accompanies working members of the royal family in Britain. Earlier this year, he lost an appeal to restore taxpayer-funded security for himself and his family after leaving official royal duties; he has publicly said that the dispute over security contributed to a breakdown in communication with his father, saying the king "won't speak to me because of this security stuff" and that he would "love to reconcile." Harry has also said, "Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has," after the monarch announced a cancer diagnosis last year.
The meeting follows reports in July that Harry's communications team had met with the king's communications secretary in London for discussions that raised hopes of a potential rapprochement. It remains unclear whether Wednesday's audience will lead to a broader reconciliation among senior working members of the royal family.
Earlier in the week, after touching down in London, Harry visited St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle to lay a wreath and flowers at the resting place of his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, on the third anniversary of her death. He also attended the annual WellChild Awards and appeared at a public engagement in Nottingham the following day.
Royal aides described the meeting as private and did not disclose further details of the conversation. The security dispute, the king's recent health announcement and long-standing tensions within the family have complicated relations between Harry and senior royals since his decision to step back from frontline duties.
The duke left Clarence House promptly after the audience to carry out his scheduled engagements in London. Observers noted the meeting's brevity and the presence of only a small number of people around the palace, consistent with previous private audiences held by the king.
There was no immediate comment from Kensington Palace about the meeting, and no indication was given that other members of the royal household took part. The palace statement confirming the three private audiences said only that they took place and did not provide further detail on timings or participants.
The outcome of the visit and whether it will prompt further contact between Harry and other members of the royal family, including his brother, remain to be seen. Officials have said the king continues to carry out public duties while receiving treatment and attending private audiences in London and elsewhere.