EXCLUSIVE The Palace's meeting with Meghan's 'cheerleader' chief of communications who 'loves Wills and Kate' could mark the beginning of a period of reconciliation within the Royal Family, expert claims
Now, in the aftermaths of last week's bombshell meeting between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's communications secretary and the King's aide recollections between the two camps are once again varied.
On Monday, MailOnline revealed that Harry and Meghan denied leaking details of the rendezvous between Meghan's 'cheerleader' head of comms Meredith Maines and the King's communications secretary Tobyn Andreae in London on Wednesday July 9.
Meghan and her current PR guru share some unlikely parallels within both their personal and professional lives. Both of them are working mothers from California who cut their teeth working within Hollywood's entertainment industry.
Both are also lovers of horses with Maines having joined the Equestrian Team while studying at Stanford University and Meghan who has taken a keen interest in Polo in recent years.
Interestingly, the PR guru is something of a royalist. In 2011 Maines took to X - formerly Twitter - on the day before Prince William and Kate Middleton 's wedding to declare that she planned to watch 'eight hours of Royal Wedding coverage'.
After the wedding she also claimed to have 'over-indulged' in the event.
It is not known whether it was Charles or Harry who arranged the 'peace talks' between Maines and Andreae but pictures of the two sides enjoying drinks raised hopes of a reconciliation.
Both Harry, 40, and his father, 76, are said to be keen to reconcile, especially after the King was diagnosed with cancer last year.
But, Harry and Meghan are said to have been frustrated that pictures of the extraordinary meeting were published in The Mail on Sunday and sources close to Prince Harry have insisted the Sussexes were not responsible for passing details of the meeting on to the newspaper.
While who approached whom has not been confirmed, The Times reported that Maines did not have instructions from the Sussexes to meet with representatives from Prince William but Buckingham Palace was contacted.
From what details are available, it is clear that Harry and Meghan might be trying to heal rifts with the Royal Family that have existed since the couple stepped down as working royals in 2020.
Speaking to MailOnline, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said: 'Harry and Meghan reportedly initiated this meeting, as it is clear that any contact with the Royal Family which could have positive connotations is pivotal to them as they have nothing else to offer. They want to be associated with 'reconciliation', yet previously have been so destructive.
Nevertheless Fitzwilliams pointed out that the leaked meeting was still 'extremely controversial.'
He added: 'The motives of both parties, who knew, who leaked it and whether Prince William was aware of it as he obviously should have been, are currently matters which are hotly debated.'
Harry and Meghan's pivot back towards the royals became clear earlier this year when the Duke and Duchess dramatically revamped the structure of their staff to make it more like the hierarchical system more closely associated with Buckingham Palace - and one which Harry is more accustom to.
This included the hiring of Maines, a seasoned communications strategist whose role has already drawn comparisons with Sir Clive Alderton, the formidable Private Secretary to King Charles and Queen Camilla, was placed at the helm of a team of 11, operating out of Montecito, California, and the UK.
She has also taken on the title of 'head of household' which is more traditionally associated with the Palace.
Speaking about Maines, Fitzwilliams said: 'Meredith Maines joined the Sussexes earlier this year. She is the most senior aide in the arrangement nicknamed 'the Sussex Royal Household', formed in June, which was reportedly intended to resemble the structure Harry used to work with when he was a senior working royal.'
Harry and Meghan hired Maines in February ahead of the launch of her Netflix series - With Love, Meghan - and her lifestyle brand As Ever.
Before she worked for the Sussexes, Maines was previously head of communications for the streaming giant Hulu and she worked for Google before that.
Her time working with Harry and Meghan got off to a somewhat bumpy start following Harry's interview with the BBC and the launch of Meghan's latest businesses ventures.
Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'It has been claimed that Maines was the chief architect of Harry's recent BBC interview after he lost his case over security. It was reportedly going to be relatively short, instead it went on for over half an hour.
'He came across as angry, fearful as he saw plots against him and his family, especially from courtiers and he was contradictory about his father's role in denying him and his family automatic police security.'
He added: 'It has been claimed that after she joined Team Sussex in February, she was behind the unveiling of Meghan's much panned cookery programme With Love, Meghan, the second series of which is yet to be released, and her attempt to be an influencer, As Ever, her lifestyle brand, which is of the utmost significance as Netflix are partners and the Sussexes need their contract with the streaming giant to be renewed.'
The bad publicity from these ventures coupled with several damaging blows to their popularity in a poll rating in part underpins why Harry and Meghan are said to be keen to rehabilitate their reputations.
Attempts to heal rifts with both the Royal Family and the British public could not come at a better time for Harry with the 2027 Invictus Games set to take place in Birmingham.
The Daily Telegraph reported last week that the Royal Family would be 'very much welcome' at the event and that Prince Harry is expected to invite King Charles III and other family members to the games.
With this in mind, last week's meeting could be the start of a period of reconciliation between both camps after five years of bitterness between the Palace and the Sussexes.
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