Prince Harry met with his father, King Charles III, in London on Wednesday, in what appeared to be the first step toward healing a rift that has sundered the British royal family since the prince and his American-born wife, Meghan, withdrew from royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.
A car carrying Harry, 40, was seen entering Clarence House, the king’s London residence, at 5:20 p.m. on a rainswept afternoon. Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, had been staying at Balmoral Castle in Scotland earlier in the week, but returned to London, where the king also presided over an investiture ceremony at Clarence House on Wednesday, according to Buckingham Palace.
Harry’s office did not immediately comment on the meeting, the possibility of which had tantalized royal watchers since the prince arrived in Britain for a four-day visit on Monday.
But a palace official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said father and son had shared a private tea at Clarence House. The BBC reported that the session had lasted 55 minutes, somewhat longer than the 30 minutes that Harry spent with Charles in February 2024.
The king also attended a meeting on Wednesday of his privy council, a group of advisers to the monarch, and granted an audience to the premier of the state of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas. Charles and Camilla plan to return to Scotland on Thursday, the official said.
The king’s busy schedule appeared calculated to show that he had not made the trip from Scotland solely to see Harry. Charles bestowed an honor, Member of the Order of the British Empire, on Manfred Goldberg, a German-born British survivor of the Holocaust who has been prominent in Holocaust education and remembrance.
Last May, Harry expressed hopes for a reconciliation with his father, whom he has not seen for 17 months, since shortly after Charles, 76, was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. In an emotional interview with the BBC, Harry said, “I don’t know how much longer my dad has.”
The atmospherics for a reconciliation seemed poor: The palace was annoyed that Harry had raised doubts about the king’s prognosis. Palace officials insist he is improving, though he still receives weekly cancer treatment.
Harry also antagonized his father by suggesting that Charles should have intervened in his lawsuit against Britain’s Home Office for withdrawing automatic police protection for him and his family after he and Meghan left Britain. A high court in London ruled against Harry, and he lost an appeal in May.
Harry has had a packed schedule of meetings and events involving various charities and philanthropies this week. But the latter part of his itinerary in London left room for a meeting with Charles. There was no indication that Harry has meet with his older brother, Prince William, from whom he is also estranged.
Some royal commentators had noted that the family quarrel, if left unresolved, could undermine the public’s idea of what the monarchy stands for. After Harry’s public plea for a reconciliation, Peter Hunt, a former royal correspondent at the BBC, told The New York Times that the king “represents an institution that is about family, unity and fostering forgiveness. His role is to bring people together.”
Mark Landler is the London bureau chief of The Times, covering the United Kingdom, as well as American foreign policy in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has been a journalist for more than three decades.
The post Prince Harry Reunites With King Charles for First Time in Over a Year appeared first on New York Times.
