LONDON (AP) - Britain's Prince Prince Harry joined his father, King Charles III, for tea on Wednesday at his London home, the first time they've met 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.
LONDON (AP) - Britain's Prince Prince Harry joined his father, King Charles III, for tea on Wednesday at his London home, the first time they've met 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.
Buckingham Palace later confirmed that Charles and Harry spent time together at Clarence House, where the king resides when in the capital.
There had been speculation that the Duke of Sussex might meet his father after he arrived Monday in the U.K. on the third anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II so he could visit several charities he supports.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Harry was driven through the gates of the four-story mansion not far from Buckingham Palace. He was seen leaving less than an hour later, as he ducked down in the car en route to an evening event for his Invictus Games, which supports injured and sick service personnel.
The session was a remarkable turn of events following signs of a thaw in the frigid relationship between Harry and the rest of the royal family since his and Meghan's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, a revealing Netflix series and his memoir, "Spare."
Harry and his father last met 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, Prince William, heir to the throne.
Harry was last in London in April, 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. The prince repeatedly said 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.
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