LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry arrived Wednesday at Clarence House in London for an expected meeting with his father, King Charles III, British media reported.
The meeting would be their first in well over a year.
The two have been distant since Harry and his wife, Meghan, left royal life and moved to California in 2020 and then publicly aired grievances about his family.
There had been speculation that the Duke of Sussex might meet his father after he arrived in the U.K. for Monday’s third anniversary of the and for a series of visits to charities he supports.
The last time the two met was in February 2024, when the prince flew to London after receiving news his father had been diagnosed with cancer. Harry spent about 45 minutes with Charles before the king flew to his Sandringham country estate to recuperate from his treatment.
Harry has also had little contact with his elder brother, , heir to the throne.
Harry was , when the Court of Appeal rejected his bid to restore a police protection detail that was canceled after he stopped being a working royal. Charles was on a state visit to Italy at the time, so a meeting then was impossible.
That case was itself an impediment to improved relations because it involved Harry criticizing the king’s government in the courts. But once it was over, change became possible.
Immediately after the case ended, Harry said he would “love reconciliation with my family.”
“There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” he told the BBC on the day the court case was resolved. “Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
Despite that olive branch, Harry struck a combative tone that might torpedo hopes of repairing the family breach. The prince repeatedly said that the decision to withdraw his security was made at the direction of the royal household in an effort to control him and his wife while putting their safety at risk.
“What I’m struggling to forgive, and what I will probably always struggle to forgive, is the decision that was made in 2020 that affects my every single day and that is knowingly putting me and my family in harm’s way,” Harry said.
But with the lawsuit out of the way, there were signs of change.
In July, the new team handling Harry and Meghan’s communications, headed by Los Angeles-based Meredith Maines, was seen on the balcony of a private members’ club in London speaking with Tobyn Andreae, the king’s press representative. The Mail on Sunday tabloid took a photo of what it called: “The secret Harry peace summit.”
Regardless of who tipped off the newspaper, it showed a change of tone since the meeting wouldn’t have happened if the so-called principals hadn’t given their tacit consent.
