Prince Harry’s emotional reconciliation with his father, King Charles, came just a few weeks ago in early September. This slightly awkward, fast-paced meeting will be their first in-person dialogue in more than a year and a half. They haven’t kept in touch even once during that two-and-a-half-year gap. Throughout this rather cordial encounter, conducted in private over tea at Buckingham Palace, both sides reiterated the need to better that relationship.
Insiders reported that Prince Harry had been looking forward to the chance to address King Charles directly. The meeting was said to be positive for both, and it gave a royal kickstart to Harry’s spouse, Meghan Markle. The negotiations failed to produce any lasting agreements. Further dialogue with Prince William is needed if true and lasting reconciliation is to be accomplished.
Robert Hardman, King Charles’ biographer, filled us in on the often-tumultuous, sometimes hilarious, command-and-control meeting with a multi-faceted agenda. He called the reunion a welcome development. He underscored that it’s critical to look at what Prince William can contribute to any future deal.
“Certainly he will be happy that it has happened. I’m sure he would love to see Harry more, and, of course, his grandchildren. I think it’s encouraging that they’ve gone from ‘no speaks’ to a face-to-face meeting, but any longer-term solution would need to be discussed with Prince William as well, and that situation seems to be moving at a very different pace.” – Robert Hardman
After the meeting, much speculation ensued over the tone and nature of their leave-behind discussions. In response to such reporting, the Duke’s spokesperson clarified that Prince Harry was in no way represented accurately by the media’s depiction of that meeting.
“Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false.” – Prince William’s spokesperson
From a PR perspective, they downplayed a number of conflicting statements attributed to Prince Harry. They labeled those quotes “pure invention” from interest groups out to destroy their reconciliation attempts. The Governor’s office spokesperson acknowledged that gifts were exchanged in the course of the meeting. They did explain that the elaborate framed photograph given to King Charles did not feature the Duke and Duchess.
“While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however the image did not contain the Duke and Duchess.” – Prince Harry’s spokesperson
The meeting between Prince Harry and King Charles has caused a lot of chatter in royal expert and fan circles. It highlights the complex relationships within the British royal family and raises questions about future interactions among its members.
