Meghan, Charles, William, and Harry(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, hosted Prince Harry, 41, Meghan Markle, 44, and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, at Highgrove House on Friday. The Palace described the reunion at the King’s Gloucestershire residence as a “private family occasion”.
The visit represents the first time the monarch has laid eyes on Archie and Lilibet in more than four years, while Meghan and Harry had not set foot in the UK together since 2022, when they attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Royal commentator Jennie Bond, however, has suggested that one unresolved issue continues to hang over relations between the Sussexes and the King.
Writing in The i Paper, Jennie described the weekend as a potential “make-or-finally-break moment” between Harry and his father.
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The BBC’s former royal correspondent went on to assert that a “lack of trust” remains the central stumbling block between Harry and the King, stemming from the couple’s decision to quit the UK and their royal duties in 2020 to relocate to America.
Prince Harry at the Invictus 1 Year To Go Event in Birmingham(Image: Getty)
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Matters were further complicated when Harry publicly aired his grievances against his family, both in his Netflix documentary with Meghan and in his candid memoir, Spare.
Jennie wrote just before the reunion was officially confirmed by the Palace: “Their end-of-term report would surely read: ‘Must do better.’ Trust – or rather a lack of it – between the two camps is still a critical issue.
“This weekend could be a make-or-finally-break moment in the chequered relationship between Harry and his dad.”
Despite the seemingly encouraging developments between Harry and Charles, there are reportedly no plans for the Duke of Sussex to be reunited with his brother, Prince William, during his and Meghan’s time in the UK.
William and Harry are not expected to reconcile any time soon(Image: Getty)
Jennie also seized the opportunity to commend the late Princess Diana’s family for “executing a masterclass in diplomacy” in preserving a strong bond with both of her sons, Harry and William, notwithstanding their bitter falling-out.
She went on: “Quietly, and without fuss, they have held true to Earl Spencer’s pledge at Diana’s funeral to protect William and Harry and allow ‘their souls to sing openly’ as she had planned.
“Of course it has to be said that the Spencers weren’t in Harry’s firing line during his onslaught against the Palace, his father, his brother and others. So they have no reason to hold any grudges.
“They have executed a masterclass in diplomacy, staying on good terms with both brothers and showing up for Harry – for example at the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games a couple of years ago, when the royals shunned hi
