EXCLUSIVE: With Prince Harry hoping to reunite publicly with his once-estranged father the King at the Invictus Games in Birmingham, there is growing belief the Duke is placing a far greater importance on repairing damaged family ties
Prince Harry is determined to reconcile with his family and won’t do anything to jeopardise it, according to a source.
There is a growing belief that the Duke of Sussex is placing far greater importance on repairing family ties than at any point since he and his wife Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020. He has been buoyed by his recent meeting with his once estranged father the King, which took place last month at Highgrove, alongside Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
And as the Mirror revealed earlier this week, Harry is hoping to appear publicly with Charles at next year’s Invictus Games in Birmingham, with the organisers planning to invite the King to take part in either the opening or closing ceremony as well as visiting a range of sporting events to meet competitors.
Many see the key to full reconciliation between the Sussexes and the King as being that whatever happens in such meetings between them remains private.
No details have emerged about what happened at the meeting and in a recent string of photos shared by Meghan on Instagram of the family’s time in the UK last month, none included the King or Queen Camilla.
A royal source said: “There’s no doubt he [Harry] enjoyed his time in the UK with his family, especially getting the opportunity to see his father with his wife and children.
“The last few years have been incredibly emotional for him, and now he’s reached a place where he wants to not only visit his home country more, but also would really like to be with his family. If the King were to attend the Invictus Games next year, and appear in public with him, it would be a huge moment for all of them.
“He wants the Birmingham Games to be the best ever, and it would be extra special to have all his family by his side, and that means the King as well.
“He’s said before that he would like reconciliation with his family, so undoubtedly he’s determined to make things work, and that means not doing anything to jeopardise that.”
It is understood Harry wants to arrange further meetings with his father to also allow him to spend time with his grandchildren, who he has hardly seen since he and Meghan quit their royal roles in 2020 and moved to the United States.
And the Duke is to continue his controversial campaign demanding taxpayer-funded security – paving the way for future visits with his family – after previously saying without it, it was too dangerous to bring his wife and children to the UK.
The source added: “[The duke] is not going to give up pursuing the security avenue because that would guarantee Meghan and the children coming over with him, and alleviate a lot of the stress he is under when it comes to arranging such a trip.”
However, whether Buckingham Palace believes the timing is right for a public reunion between father and son is another question altogether.
The Sussexes have been estranged from the royals after Harry criticised his father, stepmother Camilla, brother the Prince of Wales and sister-in-law Kate in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary, interviews and his autobiography Spare, after stepping down from the working monarchy six years ago.
Royal expert and former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “It will all depend on whether the Palace feels Harry and Meghan are to be trusted.
“So there are a lot of ifs and buts at this point. However, there would be a wonderful symmetry if Charles, Camilla and William were alongside Harry for the opening of the Birmingham games – just as they were at the inaugural games in 2014 in London.
“I think there is a fighting chance that the King will be there. It’s such a brilliant cause and probably Harry’s best achievement. I’m sure Charles is proud of his son.”
While the King appears prepared to keep lines of communication open, there is little indication that the Prince and Princess of Wales share the same outlook.
William’s relationship with his brother remains deeply fractured, and there is no expectation inside royal circles that Harry will be welcomed back into the wider family in any meaningful way yet.
And Jennie added: “As for William, there are no signs yet of any thaw in the frost. But he has much to think about with the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death next year, which — before the rift – is something he would have marked with Harry, as well as the Invictus Games.
“Personally, I think it would be brilliant if we could see them all standing alongside one another and calling a halt to the bitterness. Families are complicated. Families fall out. But that doesn’t mean it has to last forever.”
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