Prince Harry has had his first face-to-face meeting with King Charles in 19 months.
Harry arrived at Charles’s Clarence House home in London on Wednesday evening and had a private tea with the King.
The duke arrived in a black Range Rover at 5.20pm and left at 6.14pm, to attend an Invictus event at The Gherkin in the City of London.
Harry appeared relaxed, smiling and upbeat at the event later, as he mingled with corporate sponsors and government ministers. Asked how his father was by a reporter shortly after arriving at the Invictus reception, Harry replied: “Yes, he’s great, thank you.”
Speculation has mounted in recent weeks as to whether Harry would use his brief return to the UK this week to be reunited with the king – who has been receiving cancer treatment since early 2024.
Harry last saw his father in February last year when he made a transatlantic dash from his Californian home to the UK to see Charles following his diagnosis.
Charles is believed to have travelled back to London on Wednesday from his Balmoral home, where he has been spending his summer break.
The Duke of Sussex was last in the UK in April, when contesting a court case over Home Office-provided security.
King Charles arrives at Clarence House, in London, on 10 September. (Reuters)
The case, which Harry lost, did little for relations between him and his father, as he was effectively suing the King’s government.
Yahoo News runs down how the recent speculation of the pair’s reunion started.
How did the rumours begin?
In July, senior aides to Harry and Charles were spotted holding a meeting in London, fuelling speculation that a reconciliation could be on the cards.
Meredith Maines, head of communications for Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, met Tobyn Andreae, communication secretary to the King, at a private members’ club, the Mail on Sunday reported, dubbing it the “secret Harry peace summit”.
King Charles and Prince Harry pictured together in April 2019. (PA)
The fact that Harry lost his appeal about his security ending his long-running legal battle means that matter can potentially be put behind the pair, even if Harry is said to have believed the King could have helped resolve it had he intervened.
Speculation that Harry could see his father during his UK visit predated his arrival.
Daniela Relph, senior royal correspondent at the BBC, said in August: “The King will be in the UK. He will be in Scotland at his Balmoral Estate. Harry could go to Scotland but we know the King is regularly travelling south for cancer treatment and some royal engagements, leaving open the chance of seeing his son in person.”
Meanwhile, ITV News royal editor Chris Ship said before Harry’s return to the UK that “reconciliation between father and son” is “seemingly some way off”, but that “there is a slim chance that the King and Harry will see each other”.
However, he added: “But only a handful of people know whether or not the two will see each other in the days ahead.”
What is Harry doing in the UK?
Harry is on a four-day working visit to the UK having arrived on Monday, 8 September, when he laid a wreath in memory of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, on the third anniversary of her death.
He travelled to her tomb in the King George VI Memorial Chapel within Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said.
Harry later attended the WellChild awards ceremony in London in his role as patron of the charity, which celebrates the achievements of seriously ill children and their families.
Prince Harry speaking at the WellChild Awards on Monday evening. (Getty Images)
On Tuesday afternoon, during a visit to Nottingham, Harry announced that he will be donating £1.1m of his own money to Children in Need, with the money going to groups – predominantly in Nottingham –supporting young people affected by violence.
He also visited a community recording studio (CRS) in St Ann’s, where he was greeted with cheers from about 100 people on his arrival.
The duke was all smiles as he arrived at the Centre for Blast Injury Studies in White City, west London, on Wednesday, 10 September.
Here he was pictured with ex-army captain David Henson, who served as Team GB captain for the inaugural Invictus Games, which was founded by the duke for wounded and sick military and veterans.
Prince Harry pictured during a visit to the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London. (Getty Images)
What has Harry said?
In May, in an interview with the BBC, Harry said he was “devastated” about losing the legal challenge over his security case, which he called the “sticking point” between him and the Royal Family.
He claimed the King “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff” but that he wanted to end their fight and does “not know how much longer my father has”.
He said: “There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family. I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious.”
What about Harry and William?
While there has been speculation about Harry seeing the King, ITV’s Ship has said there is “zero prospect” of him seeing his brother, William, Prince of Wales, during his trip to the UK.
Following Harry’s controversial 2023 book, Spare, which detailed the souring of the relationship between the two brothers, any reconciliation appears a long way off.
William and Harry were just seven miles away from each other at one point on Monday, as they carried out separate engagements.
William, the Prince of Wales, during a visit to Spiral Skills in Lambeth, south London, on Tuesday. (PA)
On Monday, William was joined by his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, in Sunningdale, Berkshire, close to his home in Windsor, at an engagement commemorating the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Harry made a quip about siblings during Monday evening’s WellChild event while talking to Declan Bitmead, 17, winner of the inspirational young person 15-18 years award, who suffered permanent sight impairment and lost 96% of his skin after developing a rare and life-threatening reaction to a common tonsillitis treatment.
Prince Harry, right, meets Declan Bitmead, centre, recipient of the Inspirational Young Person 15-18 award, at the WellChild Awards. (AFP via Getty Images)
When Declan said he had a younger brother, Harry asked: “Does he drive you mad?” When the teenager replied that “we get on fine”, Harry joked: “You know what – siblings”.
While Harry was in Nottingham on Tuesday, William visited a youth organisation in Lambeth, south London.
Both Harry and William were at the funeral of their uncle Lord Fellowes in Norfolk in August 2024, but there was reportedly no interaction between them.