Peace talks with Prince Harry: What it means for the Royal Family
After years of animosity, Prince Harry has sown the first seeds of reconciliation in which he reveals how much he misses his estranged Royal Family.
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After years of animosity, the seeds of a royal reconciliation have begun to take root.
The first signs Prince Harry was seriously considering putting old grudges behind him came in May. Despite his clear disappointment at having just lost a court appeal against the UK’s Home Office to reinstate his family’s taxpayer-funded security detail on British soil, the exiled Prince gave an interview to the BBC which focused on how much he missed his family.
“I would love reconciliation with my family,” the Duke of Sussex said.
“There’s no point continuing to fight anymore.
“Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
Indeed this correlates with a June report by respected royal editor Camilla Tominey of the UK’s Daily Telegraph about the king’s health.
“The talk now is that he may die ‘with’ cancer, but not ‘of’ cancer following a rigorous treatment program,” she wrote, noting he will not move back into Buckingham Palace once its renovations are complete due to the prognosis.
Last month, reports circulated that Harry had invited his father to the 2027 Invictus Games – the event he founded for wounded soldiers – which will be held in Birmingham, UK.
While the palace has not publicly responded to the invitation, Invictus chief executive Helen Helliwell confirmed King Charles would be “very much welcome” at the event.
Then came the meeting last week between two of Harry and Meghan’s most trusted staffers and the King’s communications secretary.
Meredith Maines, the Sussexes’ chief communications officer, flew to London from California to meet with Liam Maguire who heads up Harry and Meghan’s UK public relations team.
However, as the photos snapped by Mail on Sunday reveal, the pair also had a sneaky tipple with the King’s representative Tobyn Andreae at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) near Clarence House – Charles’ London residence.
Dickie Arbiter was Queen Elizabeth’s and the then Prince Charles’ press secretary from 1988 to 2000.
Mr Arbiter, 84, shared his thoughts with this masthead about the so called “peace summit” between the staffers.
“I really don’t know why everyone is getting their knickers in such a twist about this. It’s hardly a summit when they’re having a drink,” Mr Arbiter said.
“Reconciliation is a long way off. Don’t hold your breath because you’ll die.
“There’s too much bad blood gone by and it would take so much more than just two or three people having a drink in the sunshine at ROSL with everybody looking at them.”
Despite downplaying the meeting itself, Mr Arbiter did reveal exactly how any true smoothing of relations between the royals would play out.
“Any reconciliation has got to come after a grovelling apology from Harry and Meghan,” Mr Arbiter said.
The well placed former royal staffer, who accompanied Queen Elizabeth on her 1988 tour of Australia, said after the apology would need to come iron-clad assurances from the Sussexes to no longer publicly speak ill of the royals.
“Plus, there’s the fact you can’t trust them,” Mr Arbiter said.
“How come they were photographed on the balcony? Who told whom?
“I think that leak came from the Sussex camp. It was a set up – they obviously have an agenda.”
Questions have been asked as to why a Kensington Palace representative of Prince William and his wife Catherine was not present at the drinks.
Mr Arbiter said he wasn’t surprised.
While a father’s love endures, Harry deeply hurt William when he chose to air their grievances publicly.
“It is going to take a long time for this side of the Atlantic to welcome them with open arms,” he said.
“They rubbish the family to Oprah, rubbish the family on six hours of Netflix, rubbish the family in Spare – how much is a family supposed to take?”
Royal expert Hugo Vickers – whose biography on Prince Philip’s mother titled Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece has recently been reissued – is in agreement in terms of who is required to make the first move.
“Prince Harry should apologise. But he thinks it is the other way around. I fear he simply does what he is told in his home,” Mr Vickers told this masthead.
“As I say, I am sure the King would wish to reconcile. Prince William – no. As you know, there is always a middle point where both sides can reconcile – but it won’t be easy.”
However, Harry and Meghan do seem to be moving away from building their empire on the back of their relationship to the royals.
While their early attempts to garner independent income after being cut off from the royal purse involved airing their dirty laundry, Meghan and Harry’s most recent projects have steered well clear of the subject.
The highly rating Netflix series With Love, Meghan, podcast Confessions of a Female Founder and repeatedly sold out jams and little luxuries from the Duchess’ lifestyle brand As Ever do not negatively play up the royal connection.
And despite Mr Arbiter’s scepticism, according to the Mail on Sunday, a well placed source maintained the drinks were indeed the first steps toward mending the relationship.
“Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk,” the source said.
“There’s a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years.
“There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.”
As for how reconciliation could look, it will take one of two forms.
Like his uncle Prince Andrew – who was cast aside over his association with convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein – Harry and Meghan could simply join in non-official family gatherings.
Andrew was recently spotted in Charles and Camilla’s company attending church at Easter and he was even reportedly permitted to take official coronation photos with his brother – provided they never see the light of day in public.
Alternatively, Harry and Meghan could operate much like his beloved cousins Zara Tindall, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice and pop in for the odd official engagement without committing to being a full time working royal.
Mr Vickers believes while Harry may return to the fold of the royal family, things would never go back to as they were before.
“Even in Spare Prince Harry said his father did not want his sons to make his last years miserable, so I am sure he would be happy to reconcile with Harry on a personal level,” Mr Vickers said.
“There is no incentive on either side for him to return to royal duties. That would be an unwelcome distraction.”
Mr Vickers said should Harry and Meghan ever divorce, his path home would become much clearer.
“I see reconciliation with Prince Harry possible on a personal level, especially if his marriage goes wrong,” Mr Vickers said.
“I don’t see any inclination to have him back doing royal duties. They have already taken part in some family occasions.
“I don’t think she wants to come to the UK – and nor does the UK want her.”
Whether the road to redemption is long or short, the events of the last three months have given a glimmer of hope Diana’s boys could ultimately reconcile.
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Originally published as Peace talks with Prince Harry: What it means for the Royal Family
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