Prince Harry’s last chance to repair royal relations if he does just one thing.
Prince Harry traveled from California to the UK to see King Charles after learning of his health concerns, fueling hope that the family could reconcile.
The Duke of Sussex has been apart of the company since he and Meghan Markle moved to California in 2020, yet he flew thousands of miles around the world to see his father for just 45 minutes after hearing the king had been diagnosed with cancer. His Majesty also made the decision to personally inform Harry of the news over the phone before it was published, suggesting that the two still enjoy some degree of closeness.
Royal expert Phil Dampier told MailOnline there was still hope for royal reconciliation, although it was still too early to say what form it would take. He explained: “I don’t think anyone knows at the moment, not even himself. It’s a first step – it’s a kind of meeting that breaks the ice – Harry was keen to know how the king was – and it takes it from there.
I think the most important thing is that when he returns to California, none of this conversation with the king becomes public. Trust will be lost if he starts leaking things. If nothing leaks after a few weeks, trust will return. I’d say the jury is out. This is his last chance to regain some confidence.” He continued: “If anything leaks, we will be back to square one and it will eliminate any chances of reconciliation with William. I don’t think he is inclined to forgive him at the moment.”
The publication of Harry Spare’s memoirs has further damaged his already strained relationship with the company, as he made damaging attacks against several senior royals including Queen Camilla and Prince William. Some royal commentators have speculated that family members gave Harry wide latitude, especially on occasions such as the coronation, due to fears that anything they said to him would later be leaked. Expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Mail it would be “disastrous” if details of the duke’s meeting with the king were made public.
He said: “I do not expect Harry to leak details of what happened between him and his father. If he did, and the Sussexes have in the past used the media mercilessly against the royal family, it would be disastrous.” It could be the beginning of reconciliation because cancer changes everything.
The important thing is that the meeting took place. Harry was clearly a worried son for his father who had made the trip across the Atlantic to be his support. Harry is also privy to a diagnosis which we currently do not have. What is clearly necessary is to rebuild trust after the way the Sussexes have used the media against the Royal Family and caused such damage,” he added