‘Wishful thinking’: Prince Harry’s peace summit unravels

Prince Harry’s hopes for a royal reconciliation before the coronation have been dealt a new blow by King Charles III.

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King Charles III reportedly has “no appetite” for a royal reconciliation with his prodigal son before the coronation, with royal insiders calling Prince Harry’s hopes of forgiveness “wishful thinking”.

In the aftermath of the bombshell claims he made in Spare, Prince Harry offered his family a ceasefire if they were willing to accept “accountability”.

But hopes are unravelling for a royal peace summit ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s expected attendance at the King’s coronations, with palace insiders playing down the possibility following the Duke of Sussex’s latest olive branch.

“It’s wishful thinking,” a close friend of King Charles told The Daily Beast.

The former ‘Fab Four’, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Picture: Getty Images

Suggestions of an imminent summit for the King’s peace circulated after Royal correspondent Roya Nikkah, known for her inside sources within Buckingham Palace, wrote in The Sunday Times that a reconciliation could take place before the coronation on May 6, adding it’s “it can be done, it’s fixable”.

It came after Prince Harry gave an interview to a rival UK publication, The Daily Telegraph, where he acknowledged the betrayal of his family’s trust.

“Some of the stuff I’ve put in there, well, they will never forgive me anyway. But the way I see it is, I’m willing to forgive you for everything you’ve done,” he said.

But that forgiveness would likely not be unconditional, with Prince Harry demanding an apology for slights the royal family deny.

Neither the King nor Camillia, Queen Consort, are expected to “jump to judgment” amid the fallout from Prince Harry’s allegations in Spare, while Prince William is understood to be “in no mood” for burying the hatchet, according to the Evening Standard.

While the family’s policy is not to comment and remain publicly quiet, their insiders privately told the publication that the King has never been one to act rashly.

“There is no appetite at this moment in time to engage,” the source said, with another adding that Prince Harry being welcomed back into the family fold was “imaginative”.

The biggest hurdle to the melding of minds is the fear that anything said behind closed doors would end up in the epilogue of the paperback edition of Spare.

The lack of trust has left senior royals actively calling for Prince Harry and Ms Markle to be excluded from the coronation, according to The Sun.

“There have been discussions among the family, including Edward and Anne,” a palace source told the outlet.

“They do not want private conversations at the Coronation making it into the paperback edition of Spare.”

While King Charles and Prince William left their responses to anonymous palace courtiers, Catherine, Princess of Wales, carried on with the business of the Firm.

The 41-year-old made her first solo appearance since the Spare firestorm to visit the Foxcubs Nursery in Luton.

She played around with toddlers at the early childhood care centre, showing no sign of drama surrounding her family.

“Thank you for having me,” she said arriving at the school. “Is it busy for everybody, is everybody back in?”

A friend of the princess told the Mirror that she was baffled by Prince Harry’s attacks but had “already moved on”, as she was too busy “to take much notice”.

Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales holds a mask to her face as she interacts with children during her visit to Foxcubs Nursery. Picture: AFP

Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales holds a mask to her face as she interacts with children during her visit to Foxcubs Nursery. Picture: AFP

Originally published as ‘Wishful thinking’: Prince Harry’s peace summit unravels