It’s Not Just Prince Harry — King Charles Also Hopes to Reunite with Son for an Emotional Reason
Prince Harry’s return to the UK this September is stirring familiar questions. Will he see his father, King Charles? The logistics may be complicated, given the poignancy of the date — the Queen's death anniversary. However, some royal observers believe that the King has a deeply personal reason not to turn his son away.
Harry is expected in London on September 8 for the WellChild Awards, an annual event he has supported for years. For the past two years, Charles has observed the day in Scotland, as his mother passed away at Balmoral. That tradition makes the possibility of a meeting less straightforward than it may appear. Even so, royal biographer Ingrid Seward argues that the emotional pull of family may outweigh the obstacles. “My opinion is that Harry desperately needs the stardust of meeting his father,” she told Newsweek. “He needs the glow of being the King's son to shine on him. I think Harry would be very keen to meet his father, and as a parent, I would think Charles would probably like to see him.”
For Charles, there is also the matter of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, whom he has rarely met. Though Harry is unlikely to bring them to the UK on this trip, Seward suggests the King would still want to hear how they are doing. “Because Charles isn't seeing his grandchildren, that must be really sad for him,” she said. “And if a meeting can be arranged without too much drama, he will see Harry.”
But arranging such a meeting is rarely as simple as father and son picking up the phone. The King’s schedule in Scotland is tightly controlled, and any visit would likely require Harry to travel north, an invitation that only Charles can extend. Even then, layers of Palace staff would be involved in coordinating the logistics.
If the two do sit down together, Seward believes it may not be behind closed doors. She noted that late Queen Elizabeth herself often had a private secretary present during sensitive conversations, particularly when Princess Diana was leaving the royal family in the 1990s. “When she was having these meetings with the Queen around the time of her divorce... always had someone in there with them because Diana would go and talk to the press. It was the same,” Seward explained.
The last time Harry saw Charles was in February, during a brief visit to the U.K. Since then, he has spoken publicly about the strained family ties. In his BBC interview in May, Harry admitted, “There have been so many disagreements between me and some of my family. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things, but... there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.” Speaking about his father’s health, he added, “Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has, he won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. It would be nice to reconcile.”