London 'reconciliatory' meeting between King Charles and Prince Harry aides sidestep Duke's far more bitter row with brother William
The Mail on Sunday tabloid newspaper reported that the hush hush meeting took place on Wednesday at the Royal Overseas League club, an exclusive establishment patronised by high society Brits.
Present at the pow-wow were Tobyn Andrae, the Eton-educated communications secretary for the King, and Meredith Maines, who performs the same task for Harry.
Also at the talks was Liam Maguire, who looks after press matters in the UK for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
There was no word on who initiated the meeting, but a royal source said that it was the first hesitant step to resolve the rancorous row between father and son.
Significantly, King Charles is patron of the Over-Seas League, whose goal is to foster international peace and understanding and Mr Andrae is a former editor from the Daily Mail that broke the story.
The news outlet is also one of the tabloid targets of legal action that Harry has taken against the British Press for allegedly hacking his phone.
The Over-Seas club is located a few minutes' stroll away from Clarence House, the monarch's London home in Westminster.
The source told The Mail: 'There is a long road ahead, but at least a channel of communications has opened'.
Relations between the 76-year-old sovereign and Harry and his wife have been in the deep freeze since the couple gave an interview to US TV Queen Oprah Winfrey at their California home in 2021 - in which the Royal Family were accused of racism directed at Meghan, a former American soap star.
Harry later deepened the feud in 2023 with the publication of his bestselling autobiography 'Spare' in which more embarrassing accusations were hurled against the rest of the Royals, including an account of a physical fight with Harry's elder brother Prince William, heir to the British throne, and an admission that Harry took various illegal drugs in his youth and had therapy for his psychological problems.
A possible spur to the peace process was the diagnosis last year that Charles was suffering from cancer, a condition for which he is still receiving treatment.
Harry has only had one meeting with his father since news of the king's illness broke.
The gulf between the king and his son has caused deep distress to Charles, who has often privately expressed his desire to see an end their estrangement.
A very different stance has been taken by William, who has publicly refuted Harry's accusation that the royals are racists.
William is known to be furious at the hostility shown by the Sussexes to his wife Kate, the popular Princess of Wales, who is also recovering from cancer.
So even if last week's meeting does lead to a reconciliation between the King and his son, the far more bitter row between the royal brothers is on a wholly deeper level.
Harry and his wife - who most observers agree are the chief cause of the feud with their selfish and reckless behaviour - will have to eat many banquets of humble pie if a genuine peace is to be restored within the Royal Family.
Nigel Jones is a historian and journalist whose work has been featured in major British publications including The Guardian, The Daily Mail and The Spectator. His previous positions include Deputy Editor of History Today and the Reviews Editor of the BBC History magazines
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