NEED TO KNOW
- Prince Harry and King Charles had a recent reunion, but there will be no changes to the Duke of Sussex’s royal role
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, and it was made clear that they can’t be “half-in, half-out”
- A spokesman for Harry reiterates to PEOPLE, “The duke has made it clear that the focus is his father”
Prince Harry may have enjoyed a long-desired private reunion with King Charles recently, but he is not about to return to official public roles alongside his family.
That is even something Harry, 41, and his father, 76, appear to agree on.
A story appeared in the Mail on Sunday over the weekend that seemed to suggest a new direction, speaking of talks of a “public show of unity” between father and son.
The Duke of Sussex and his father have been estranged for much of the last couple of years following a series of family rifts as well as a legal battle, which Harry lost, over the removal of the security for him, Meghan Markle and their children.
But on Sept. 10, in a sign of an easing in relations, Prince Harry had his first face-to-face meeting with his father in 19 months over tea at Clarence House in London. It only lasted around 50 minutes, but it was hailed by most close observers as a positive development. “It’s a massive step in the right direction,” Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson told PEOPLE following the historic meeting. “It’s a building of trust.”
Harry was in the U.K. for a series of charity appearances in London and Nottingham, where he was largely well-received.
Harry has made no secret of his wish to spend more time in the U.K. and bring his family. However, he is not seeking a change to the arrangement over any royal work, as was agreed when he and Meghan left the working royal family in 2020, and he hasn’t asked his father for it, PEOPLE understands. When they stepped back, the Duke and Duchess gave up most of their links to royal charities, and Harry had to relinquish his official military affiliations.
A spokesman for Harry reiterates to PEOPLE, “The duke has made it clear that the focus is his father. Beyond that, and on any other issues as it relates to his family, we won’t be commenting.”
Moreover, palace sources have told PEOPLE that there is no change to the position laid out at the so-called Sandringham summit, led by the late Queen Elizabeth in 2020.
A widely-quoted royal source in the U.K. papers added, “The King has been absolutely clear in upholding his late mother’s decision that there can be no ‘half-in, half-out’ public role for members of the family.”
Harry — who stepped out with Meghan, 44, on Sept. 20 for the One805LIVE! concert, which supports Santa Barbara County’s first responders and was held at Kevin Costner’s oceanside estate in California — is, however, hoping to spend more time in the U.K. and does harbor hopes of being able to bring his family over from California and especially introduce his children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, to Britain.
Just a few days after meeting his father, Harry made a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, with his Invictus Games Foundation and spoke with The Guardian while there.
“The focus really has to be on my dad,” he said, while also acknowledging his past revelations in interviews and his memoir Spare. “My conscience is clear.”
When asked if he will ever bring his children to the U.K. despite his security concerns, Harry told the outlet, “Yes, I would. This week has definitely brought that closer.”
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He also visited the grieving Duke of Kent at Kensington Palace during his London trip. The Duke of Kent is mourning his wife, Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, who died on Sept. 4 at the age of 92.
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