Prince Harry has suggested that efforts are underway to sabotage his reconciliation with the King by portraying their recent meeting negatively.
The father and son met on September 10 for the first time in 19 months. Their brief, private meeting over tea at Clarence House marked a thawing in relations and was widely seen as a significant step toward rapprochement.
However, on Saturday (Sunday AEST), reports emerged claiming that Harry, the Duke of Sussex, was surprised by the formal nature of their reunion. According to a source quoted by The Sun, the encounter was described as “awkward” and “very official, like an official visit.”
When The Sun declined to retract these quotes, Harry’s spokesman issued a statement directly responding to the story, asserting that the newspaper’s description of the Duke’s impressions of the meeting was “categorically false.” The statement read:
“The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son.”
During the visit, Harry reportedly gave the King a framed photograph of his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. In return, the monarch presented his younger son with an early birthday gift, as their meeting took place six days before Harry’s 41st birthday.
Harry’s spokesperson added that the same source who disclosed the gift exchange likely chose to reveal those details. The statement continued:
“While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over; however, the image did not contain the Duke and Duchess.”
The Sun stood by its reporting. A spokesman for the newspaper said:
“In his statement, Prince Harry confirms the exchange of gifts, including a family photograph. The office of the Duke of Sussex was given full right of reply yesterday in advance of publication and opted not to give a response to The Sun’s carefully sourced account of the meeting. We have today updated the online article to include his new statement.”
This story—and the Duke’s subsequent intervention—hold significance due to the fragile state of relations between the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace. Trust is now paramount, and some have described the recent reunion as a test for Harry, whose past indiscretions have caused considerable family turmoil.
One source warned that if any details of the meeting leaked or commentary emerged from the Duke’s camp, it would mean “back to square one.”
Despite these challenges, Harry has made clear his desire to reconcile with his father and reset their relationship after several difficult years marked by intensely personal allegations about his family.
The damaging claims made by the Sussexes during their Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021 remain fresh in public memory, as do the revelations woven throughout their three-part Netflix series, *Harry & Meghan*, as well as Harry’s memoir, *Spare*.
Moreover, the Duke’s multiple ongoing legal battles with the media and his failed legal challenge against the Home Office regarding his right to state-backed police protection have further strained his relationship with the institution.
In May, Harry told the BBC in an interview: “I would love a reconciliation with my family.”
His recent return to the UK, which included a series of well-received charity visits in Nottingham and London followed by an unannounced visit to Ukraine, was widely considered a success and perhaps a step toward healing the family rift.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/prince-harry-accuses-insiders-of-sabotaging-reconciliation-with-king-20250928-p5myej.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
