London
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The Duke of Sussex reunited with his father, Charles III, and reunited for his first in-person meeting on Wednesday, in 19 months, sparking speculation that the long-term rift in the royal family might soon end.
CNN understands that the king had private tea at the royal residence this afternoon with his son Harry.
After previously sharing his desire to reconcile with his family in May, speculations from a possible meeting between father and son have grown through a series of charitable visits and solo trips to the UK during Harry’s solo trip this week during Harry’s solo trip.
Duke was seen passing through the gates of Clarence House on a Black Range Rover around 5:20pm (12:20pm). He left an hour later.
Earlier on Wednesday, the 40-year-old duke visited the Explosion Research Centre at Imperial College, London.
Still undergoing cancer treatment, King Charles was in the Balmoral complex in Scotland where he spent the summer. He is believed to have returned to the British capital on Wednesday afternoon and has performed many official duties, including retaining an audience with South Australian Prime Minister Peter Marinauskas.
The last time Charles and Harry spent together was in February 2024, but Duke returned to England for a 30-minute meeting following King’s shock cancer diagnosis. The fifth Harry along the throne was unable to see his father when he returned in April for a court battle over British security arrangements due to Charles’ visit to Italy.
It’s too early to say whether there’s been a complete settlement, but there may be a possibility of a settlement in recent months. In July, I saw senior aides from both sides meet in the British capital. This was understood to be the first reopening of communication channels at the time.
Tensions within the family were already at their peak long before Duke tried to downgrade his safety in the UK.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, allegedly raised concerns about the skin tone of their first child, Prince Archie, before the birth of a family member. Meanwhile, Harry’s controversial memoirs featured several inflammatory accusations against his family, including his brother Prince William’s physical attacks during the debate over Meghan.
In May, Harry shed light on the current family dynamics when he revealed in an interview with the BBC that his father hadn’t spoken to him due to a legal battle with the UK’s Home Office.
He shared his desire to rebuild the bridge with the Windsor family, admitting that “some of my family will never allow me to write a book… they will never allow me to do a lot,” but he added that he “loves reconciliation with my family.”
“There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry said.
The brothers are separated
However, there were no signs of olive branches between the brothers. William’s immediate focus over the past year has been on his wife, Catherine, and his young children.
Both siblings have been busy running engagement over the past few days. Harry’s penultimate event on Wednesday visited the Blast Injury Research Centre at Imperial College London, which opened in 2013. He then attended the Invictus Games Foundation reception. Previous meetings with his father meant that Harry had arrived about 40 minutes late.
According to the UK’s PA Media News, Duke attended the event to relax and relax, answering reporters’ questions about his father.
His foundation will donate $500,000 to support injured children in Gaza and Ukraine through projects developing prosthetics, medical evacuation and humanitarian assistance, Reuters reported, citing Duke’s office.
“No organization can solve this on its own,” the Duke said. “Gaza currently has the highest density of child amputees in global and modern history. It strips the partnership through government, science, medicine, humanitarian response and advocacy, allowing children to survive and recover after injury.”
Meanwhile, Prince William was in Wales on Wednesday and toured a new mental health hub on World Suicide Prevention Day.
On Thursday, Harry will carry out his final involvement with another charity that has the Diana Award, a longtime charity, before he is expected to return to the United States.
Duke has been running since landing in London on Monday. Before embarking on a series of engagements, he first headed to Windsor to celebrate the third anniversary of her death in honor of her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Duke personally visited her final resting place within St. George’s chapel, laying wreaths and flowers.
Around the same time, William and Kate attended a commemorative event for the late Sovereign within ten miles of Sunningdale. Despite their proximity, the estranged brothers did not see each other.
Harry attended the Welchild Awards later Monday as a patron of a charity that supports seriously ill children and their caregivers. He then traveled to Nottingham and announced a personal donation of £1.1 million ($1.49 million) to support young people affected by the violence while visiting community recording studios. On his side, William was back in London and back to youth organizations that received funding from his “Homeword” initiative.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
