Prince Harry is determined to forge ahead with “reconciliation” plans with his father, King Charles, sources tell Page Six.
While the renegade royal, 39, was in and out of England in a whirlwind 24 hours — on days when first-class flights between Los Angeles and London cost around $30,000 — he spent about 45 minutes alone with his father following the king’s cancer diagnosis.
Charles, 75, looked rather emotional after the meeting Tuesday, as he was driven from his London home, Clarence House, with Queen Camilla by his side.
After Harry having publicly bared so much royal family turmoil over the past few years, Sussex sources say the details of the meeting — the first time father and son have been face to face since September 2022 — will be kept private.
“It looks like Harry may be learning his lesson … he really wants this reconciliation plan,” a well-placed palace source added.
Harry, who no longer has a UK home, is believed to have stayed at a hotel and not a royal residence. He normally stays at Soho House while in London, Page Six is informed.
Another royal insider said, “I think he would be happy to be home [in England], albeit for a minute.”
Buckingham Palace staffers have been nervous to have Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stay at the palace in the past, fearing they would take photos or even record footage there, particularly in the wake of their Netflix documentary, sources told Page Six.
The Times of London reported the father-son meeting was kept brief because Charles was tired from a medical procedure on Monday. A palace source told the outlet that king and queen were “coping magnificently,” adding, “If you didn’t know what was the matter, you wouldn’t have any idea that he had any condition at all.”
Harry made the trip without his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2. He was accompanied by his own security team.
Despite Harry’s much publicized concerns about having security provided in the UK, he was met by a police escort at Heathrow Airport’s Windsor Suite — reserved for royals and other VIPs — Tuesday morning to be driven to his father’s home.
Harry is mid-battle with the British Home Office, demanding he be given armed protection while in the UK — the same as working royals, which he is now not — and has said he doesn’t think it’s safe enough for him to bring his wife and children to his homeland.
But, according to a royal source familiar with the inner workings of this security issue, “Harry has never not had a police escort when he lands. It’s just that they don’t stay with him and run his day-to-day schedule like they used to [when he was a working royal].
“Homeland security decides what protection you get — it’s not the palace’s call. When Harry and Meghan said they were leaving the UK, they were told, ‘You’re no longer working royals so you are not keeping 24/7 security’. They were told their protection would be decided on a case-by-case status when they came to the UK, based on threat assessments and their schedule.
“But,” the source added, “it was not enough for Harry.”
Harry flew nearly 5,500 miles from Los Angeles to London after the king called personally to break the news of his shocking cancer diagnosis.
Wearing a simple gray T-shirt, jeans and a dark blue blazer and accompanied by his entourage, Harry was seen back at Heathrow by lunchtime Wednesday, ready to make the nearly-12-hour return flight to California.
While the Duke of Sussex attended Charles’s coronation at Westminster Abbey last May, he stayed just a few hours and was seen traveling with just a hanger bag for his Christian Dior jacket. It’s believed he did not interact with the newly-crowned king and queen.
While there may have been a thaw between father and son on this week’s visit, the trip did not include a reunion for Harry and his brother Prince William.
There had been hopes that it could be a chance for the brothers to salvage their strained relationship, but sources close to William told Page Six Tuesday there were “no plans” for the pair to meet.
“It’s a good thing that Harry is coming over — but the chances of Harry and William becoming friendly again are very slim, to be honest,” royal writer Hugo Vickers said.
William, 41, has remained focused on caring for his wife Kate Middleton, who is recovering from major abdominal surgery and is taking extended leave from public duties until after Easter.
The Prince of Wales returned to public work Wednesday, carrying out an investiture at Windsor Castle in the morning. He is set to attend a gala for the London Air Ambulance Service in the evening, where he is expected to speak about his father, who is recuperating at his country home, Sandringham.
Harry and Markle are set to fly to Canada next week for an event related to the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler.
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