Exclusive: The King has instructed aides to find potential time in his diary this week to meet with Harry and Meghan, paving the way for an emotional reunion with his grandchildren
The King hopes to meet Harry and Meghan this week, paving the way for an emotional reunion with his grandchildren.
Charles has instructed senior aides to engage in ongoing talks with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to secure time in his busy diary around his public duties.
Royal sources have revealed that the King is hopeful of arranging the summit, and would not want to pass up the opportunity of seeing Harry’s children Archie and Lilibet.
Harry jetted into the UK alone on Monday, leaving Meghan and their children behind after enjoying a family holiday last week in Europe.
The King, 77, has only met Archie, seven, on a handful of occasions when Harry and Meghan lived in the UK and only met five-year-old Lilibet once when the family returned for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Relations between the King and his estranged younger son have remained fractious since Harry, along with his wife, in March 2020 decided to quit their royal roles, in favour of setting up a new life in the United States.
But The Mirror can reveal several one to one conversations between father and son have taken place in recent weeks, with one source describing the tone as “hopeful”.
Both parties are said to be committed to attempting to make a meeting between them work, providing the opportunity for Harry to spend time with his father and the King with his grandchildren.
A royal source said: “While nothing has been ruled out, conversations remain ongoing.”
Another source said: “The King would not pass up the opportunity to spend time with his grandchildren and if there is a way of making it possible, he will do it.”
Plans being discussed by the King and Harry include the possibility of Meghan and the children flying into the UK this week for just 24 hours.
Harry is said to be “frantically” trying to secure extra private security to travel with his family to make the trip.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had previously made plans to stay with Harry’s uncle Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, at his family home Althorp House in Northampton.
Harry has endured a bruising week after being denied the opportunity to stay at Buckingham Palace while in the UK and losing his latest court case against the British media.
Harry on Monday jetted into London from a family holiday in Europe, intent on taking up a previous offer of staying at Buckingham Palace.
In the morning his spokesman announced that the duke would spend the week taking part in a range of public engagements, staying between a royal residence and private accommodation.
Yet just minutes later, royal sources hit back and clarified that Harry’s request had been denied on two counts.
Firstly, his response to the offer of staying at royal HQ – in order to allay his fears over his personal safety when in the UK – was deemed to have been received too late.
In addition, the matter of a judgment being handed down on Tuesday regarding Harry’s high stakes court battle against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, that he and six others accused of illegal information gathering, was deemed constitutionally sensitive for the King to host his son.
Weeks after announcing his intention to travel to the country of his birth, initially with Meghan and their children, Harry had inexplicably kept the palace hanging over whether he would stay at the palace.
Late last month, the duke was forced into an embarrassing climbdown from announcing his whole family would accompany him on the trip, following a letter from the Home Office that they would not be granted taxpayer funded security during their stay.
Harry’s spokesman hurriedly put out a statement suggesting despite the duke committing to various charity engagements in the UK, including the one-year-countdown to Birmingham hosting the Invictus Games, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet’s visit was in the balance.
Harry last week confirmed he would make the trip alone, citing fears over his family’s safety.
Yet until last Saturday he had still not confirmed his travel plans or responded to the invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace.
At first he decided he did not require the accommodation and then just hours later replied again to request lodging at the King’s residence for the night.
To his astonishment, the request was denied.
After weeks of frustration, the King is understood to have put a Friday deadline on the offer.
Harry’s team reacted furiously to the news, accusing Buckingham Palace of withdrawing the offer at the last moment.
Sources close to the duke went further, stating he believed “dark forces” inside the Palace were to blame for keeping him and his family from seeing his father.
Just an hour before receiving the judgement in the case, reported to have cost an estimated £50million, Harry appeared jubilant when arriving at Chatham House in London for an event to highlight the work of the Invictus Games.
The duke had accused the press of making his wife’s life an “absolute misery” when he gave evidence in his trial, telling the judge: “They continue to come after me”.
On Tuesday, all of the allegations were dismissed leaving Harry to label the result an “obvious whitewash”.
Harry is due in Birmingham on Thursday to visit the Birmingham Children’s Hospital to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first WellChild nurse, a charity he has supported for 15 years.
On Friday, he is due to take to the stage at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) to celebrate the countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games.
Buckingham Palace did not comment.
