Royal insider breaks silence on Prince Harry peace talks with telling update
A royal insider has offered fresh insight into the secret peace talks held between King Charles Prince Harry 's senior aides.
It has emerged that Harry's chief communications officer, and Liam Maguire, who runs Harry and Meghan's UK public relations team, met the King's communications secretary Tobyn Andreae at the Royal Over-Seas League in London last week. The private member's club is right by Clarence House - Charles' London residence..
The meeting has been described by sources as informal, with casual drinks intended to open a channel of communication between both camps. It is unknown who exactly initiated the meeting.
And now, one royal insider has told PEOPLE magazine: "It was a good first step. It is always better to be talking." They added: "It's a positive step. There's optimism that it can be taken forward."
The rift between the Sussexes and the royal family opened significantly following their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which they alleged a member of the family was concerned about their son Archie's skin tone before he was born.
Then the duke claimed in his controversial memoir, Spare, his brother Prince Willaim had physically attacked him and that the King put his own interests above Harry's and was jealous of Meghan.
Harry's level of security changed in 2020 when he and Meghan stepped down as working royals and moved to California for financial and personal freedom, and he suggested the royal family and officials hoped his realisation of the increased safety risk "would force us to come back".
The duke failed in an appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office, over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK.
In a BBC television interview after losing the latest round in his court battle over his security, Harry claimed the King will not speak to him and he does not know "how much longer my father has" as he spoke of his hopes for a 'reconciliation' with his family.
Sources told the Mirror that the King would welcome a royal reunion with Harry - but only if he scales back his public attacks on the family and stops the "endless" interviews.
However, it's feared that Harry's fractured relationship with William is harder to repair after his memoir Spare revealed the two had a physical fight over his relationship with Meghan.
The source said: "The King has consistently shown he loves both his sons and as he has done in the past is prepared to meet Harry when their diaries allow such an occasion. It's not unusual for aides from different households to meet, especially when there is a new influx of staff starting their roles, but of course, this is a significant moment.
"Senior members of the family have in the past said to Harry that he must both stop his attacks on the family as well as giving endless rounds of broadcast interviews as his only way of communication. If there is a period of calm and reflection on the part of the Duke of Sussex, then there may be a way forward for him to begin along the road of repairing his relationship with his father.
"As for his relationship with his brother, that is a different matter entirely and one which he will find much harder to repair."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
20 minutes ago
- Times
‘They're playing with our lives': Afghans rue placing trust in the UK
A t first, there was confusion. Thousands of Afghans started receiving emails on Tuesday morning warning them their personal information may have been 'compromised'. Then, at midday — when an unprecedented superinjunction was lifted in the High Court — there was panic. 'We understand this news may be concerning,' the email from the UK government told them. Afghans who had sought sanctuary in Britain were warned to 'exercise caution and not take phone calls or respond to messages or emails from unknown contacts'. They were told not to travel to third countries without a valid passport and visa. 'If you do so, you will be putting yourself at risk on the journey, and you may face the risk of being deported back to Afghanistan,' it said.
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
Left behind in Afghanistan: Tales from behind Taliban lines
"I strongly believe that the leak has made it significantly easier for them to identify and locate us." These are the words of an Afghan who worked for the UK in the country before the Taliban swept back to power in August 2021. Following the chaotic evacuations from Kabul in the same month, many Afghans who had worked for the UK government were left behind. The government set up the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) to try and evacuate those deemed at serious risk from the Taliban due to their association with the UK. However, a dataset that contained the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied to Arap was released "in error" in February 2022 by a defence official. The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the breach after excerpts of the dataset were posted anonymously on a Facebook group in August 2023. A superinjunction was then granted at the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Taliban from finding out about the leak. The super-injunction was lifted on Tuesday, following a review, and the people involved were contacted by email, warning them of the potential danger. ITV News has been speaking to people, both inside Afghanistan and in the UK, about the "life or death" risk this has caused them, their relatives and friends. Part of a voicenote sent to ITV News from inside Afghanistan. ITV News has been in contact with an individual who is still inside Afghanistan, on the run from the Taliban. For security reasons, we are unable to say exactly what their role was, but they worked for the UK in Afghanistan. They told us, via voicenote, that despite the precautions they have taken since 2021, this leak may have put them in direct danger. They said: "Yesterday I received an email that our data was leaked in 2022, mistakenly. "We have been extremely cautious about our safety over the past four years. Despite our efforts, my family and I have received multiple threats through social media and direct calls," they explained. They added: "I cannot confirm certainly that the Taliban used the data leaked from the UK side, but I strongly believe that the leak has made it significantly easier for them to identify and locate us." "Despite receiving approval from the UK for relocation, the process is moving slowly and we are still under threat," they finished as the voicenote crackled and went silent. Siblings disunited Tamanna has now safely relocated to the north of England. But her brother is now in graver danger in Afghanistan. He worked in the country as a military officer alongside the UK government. Tamanna says they are in constant contact because of the serious nature of the danger now posed to him because of the data leak. She said: "We're talking about these things a little bit every minute or every second because it's a serious thing." She described that he was feeling "frustrated and anxious". "It was really a shock for him because he already had his concerns and tensions about the safety and security of my family and threats he is facing for the last four years", she said. Tamanna said her brother had already requested support and help to remain safe, but delays in the system and now this data leak have left her feeling even more concerned. "I am here, I cannot do anything and they are in a bad situation." She bemoaned the lack of government help, saying: "I don't know from which source I should get help? I should talk with who? And how can I get support?" Questions for the government ITV News also spoke to Khadija - not her real name - who was working with the UK government in Afghanistan before being evacuated under the Arap scheme. "This issue is the most awful time in my life," she said. She explained that because of the leak "right now, me, my husband, my children, my mom, my sisters, my brother, they are all in direct danger because everyone has their data". She still has a large number of family members in Afghanistan, including parents-in-law, aunts, uncles and cousins, who were all implicated in the data leak. The two cousins are still teenagers and moving about rural areas to stay safe. They can't stay with family for fear of being identified. The personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) was released "in error" in 2022, ITV News' Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen reports Khadija said she didn't dare tell them about the data leak in case it put them in more trouble. "The only thing I mentioned to them was please, please change your phone number if you can. Change your house again and don't go out alone." Khadija also says she regrets trusting the UK government. "Right now, every day, I mean every minute from yesterday to right now, I regret and just blame myself for trusting the government." She concluded: "If you have a law, you need to follow the law. If the law says that there is a data breach, you need to inform the person. Why didn't you inform everyone at the beginning?" These are questions that will continue to be asked of politicians in Westminster. Talk of a public inquiry has begun, but that will bring little comfort to those in Afghanistan living at the mercy of the Taliban.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Harry echoes Diana's legacy in visit to Angolan minefield
Harry, as a patron of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, spoke to families in a remote village near Africa's largest minefield on Wednesday. He gave children in Cuito Cuanavale advice on avoiding detonating mines, telling them in Portuguese: 'Stop, go back and tell your elders.' The duke was highlighting the threat of the munitions in Angola, the same nation Diana, Princess of Wales visited in 1997 to urge the world to ban the weapons. On Tuesday he met Angola's President Joao Lourenco and welcomed the leader's intention to continue support for the removal of landmines left from the civil war that ended in 2002. Months before she died in a car crash, Diana, wearing a protective visor and vest, walked through a minefield being cleared by the Halo Trust. She strode through a cleared path in a Huambo minefield, and the images of her in body armour and a mask gave the anti-landmine campaign global recognition. Harry, who also echoed Diana in a 2019 visit to an Angolan minefield, said: 'Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school. 'Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school,' said Prince Harry. Today, the Duke of Sussex joined us in #Angola to meet families living near Africa's largest minefield – 28 years after his mother brought the issue to the world's attention. — The HALO Trust (@TheHALOTrust) July 16, 2025 'Here in Angola, over three decades later, the remnants of war still threaten lives every day.' The Angolan government is the Halo Trust's largest donor in the south-western Africa country. A new three-year contract between the Angolan government and the Halo Trust was discussed during the meeting with Mr Lourenco. Later that day, at a reception hosted by the British Embassy, Harry spoke with business leaders about maintaining partnerships in humanitarian work. He said: 'The Angolan government's continued commitment is a powerful testament to Halo's success in saving lives and reducing humanitarian risk. The Duke also helped us deliver life-saving risk education messages to children in Cuando province, southern #Angola. He repeated phrases in Portuguese including 'stop, go back and tell your elders' to prevent children from detonating deadly landmines and explosives. — The HALO Trust (@TheHALOTrust) July 16, 2025 'We thank President Lourenco for his leadership and partnership, as well as continued donor support, as we work together towards completing the mission of a landmine-free country.' James Cowan, chief executive of the Halo Trust, said: 'We are hugely grateful to President Lourenco for his leadership and to the Duke of Sussex for his personal commitment to Halo's work in Angola. 'This new contract is an important step forward in our mission to make Angola mine-free, and we will continue our work in solidarity with the Angolan people until every last mine is cleared.' It is estimated that at least 60,000 people have been killed or injured by landmines in Angola since 2008, the Halo Trust said. The trust has cleared more than 120,000 landmines and 100,000 bombs from the country. However, in the past five years at least 80 Angolans have been killed by the devices and more than 1,000 minefields are yet to be cleared. During his 2019 trip, the duke delivered a call for action to help rid the world of landmines. He donned body armour and a protective visor while setting off a controlled explosion in a partially cleared minefield, and said Angola's continued problem with the buried munitions could have been solved if his mother had lived. Diana spoke out against the sale and use of landmines and famously called for an international ban on them during her 1997 trip. On Harry's latest trip, the Halo Trust said: 'This renewed commitment builds on previous support from the Angolan government, which was first highlighted when the duke visited the country in 2019 to retrace the path of his late mother. 'That visit showcased how once-dangerous land could be transformed into a safe and thriving community.'
