Harry’s stepmother joined the private family reunion, underscoring what one royal author tells PEOPLE is an essential reality of his reconciliation with Charles
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NEED TO KNOW
- Queen Camilla was present for Prince Harry’s long-awaited family reunion with King Charles
- “She is a non-negotiable part of Charles’ life,” royal author Catherine Mayer tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story
- Harry has previously opened up about his complicated relationship with his stepmother in his 2023 memoir, Spare
Prince Harry’s long-awaited reunion with King Charles also included another key figure: Queen Camilla.
When Harry reunited with his father at Highgrove House on July 10 alongside Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry’s stepmother, Camilla, was also present for the private family meeting. The reunion marked the first time in four years that King Charles had seen Meghan and his California-based grandchildren.
Camilla’s presence reflected a simple reality.
“She is a non-negotiable part of Charles’ life,” royal author Catherine Mayer tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story. “There is no reconciliation with him without her.”
The palace asserted that there would be no photos released and no details of what was discussed.
“It is better that people don’t know anything about these meetings,” says a source close to the family. “They should be allowed to rekindle those family ties.”
In his 2023 memoir, Harry reflected on the complicated emotions he felt around his father’s 2005 marriage to Camilla, who had an affair with the future monarch during his marriage to Prince Harry and Prince William‘s mother, Princess Diana.
“I had complex feelings about gaining a stepparent, who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar,” Prince Harry said in his memoir, alleging that she leaked stories about him to the press in an effort to rehabilitate her image.
Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty
In an interview with Good Morning America in 2023, he further explained: “She had a reputation or an image to rehabilitate, and whatever conversations happened, whatever deals or trading was made right at the beginning, she was led to believe that that would be the best way to doing it.”
Asked about his relationship with her now, he said: “We haven’t spoken for a long time. I love every member of my family, despite the differences. So when I see her, we’re perfectly pleasant with each other. She’s my stepmother. I don’t look at her as an evil stepmother. I see someone who married into this institution, and done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake.”
The family reunion came during Prince Harry’s return trip to the U.K. for a series of charity events. However, the visit was steeped in conflict. A public disagreement with Buckingham Palace over accommodations was followed by a bruising legal defeat — all against the backdrop of the unresolved rift with Harry’s brother, Prince William.
“There were U-turns and backtracks, and it will have all added to the complete exasperation of the King and his aides when dealing with Harry,” says Russell Myers, author of William & Catherine.
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After much back and forth amid security concerns, Meghan and the children did not join Harry for the entirety of the visit, but they did make it back to the U.K. for the first time since 2022 for the reunion.
“One of the strangenesses of the monarchy is that we are all encouraged to forget they’re human beings because they’re representatives of the institution,” says Mayer, author of Divide and Rule. “But at its heart it is just a family — and this family has gone through extraordinary upheavals. Whatever you think of the monarchy, this is a moment most of us wanted to see happen.”
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