Prince Harry reunited with King Charles III for the first time in 19 months during a private tea at Clarence House on Wednesday. The meeting lasted 54 minutes, with Harry arriving at 5.20pm and leaving at 6.14pm ahead of an Invictus Games reception.
The Duke of Sussex appeared relaxed and upbeat at the London reception just over an hour after leaving his father's residence. When asked by a reporter how the King was, Harry replied: "Yes, he's great, thank you."
Diana Award event concludes UK trip
Harry will bring his four-day solo UK trip to a close on Thursday morning with a final engagement at the Diana Award in London. The charity was set up in memory of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
The duke is then expected to fly back to California to rejoin his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. He will not attend the Duchess of Kent's funeral on Tuesday, which will be attended by the King, Queen and other senior royals.
Careful timing around royal schedules
Charles, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, had arrived in London from Balmoral on Wednesday with a packed schedule of official duties. The King had a Privy Council meeting at St James's Palace and a one-to-one investiture with Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg at 4.15pm.
This created a window for the father-son meeting before Charles had an audience with South Australia's premier at 6.15pm. Harry arrived late to his Invictus reception at 7.24pm, joking about London traffic: "I think this whole thing has been delayed slightly, so at this point you're all hammered - which was part of the plan all along, stuck up here at the top of the Gherkin."
Renewed contact after February meeting
The pair's previous face-to-face meeting was in February 2024, lasting just over 30 minutes after Harry made a transatlantic dash following his father's cancer diagnosis. Harry had publicly expressed hopes of reconciliation with his family in May.
Since stepping down as a working royal in 2020, Harry has made numerous public accusations against family members through interviews, documentaries and his autobiography "Spare". He previously claimed Charles pleaded with his sons: "Please, boys. Don't make my final years a misery."
Estrangement continues with William
Harry remains estranged from his brother, Prince William, who was in Cardiff on Wednesday visiting a mental health hub for World Suicide Prevention Day. Senior aides to both the King and Harry were reportedly pictured together in London in July, suggesting initial steps towards opening communication channels.
Royal watchers will be monitoring whether Harry refrains from publicly discussing details of the reunion, and whether any briefings emerge from the Palace about the meeting.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
