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Prince Harry and King Charles’ private aides reportedly held a secret “peace summit” in an effort to restore the broken relationship between father and son. However, several royal experts insisted to Fox News Digital there’s one senior royal who will likely never forgive or forget.
“The important issue is that Prince William and his representatives were not invited,” royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. “I feel that this was a warning shot across William’s bows that Charles is king – not him. … It may also be a stark warning that Charles will decide what happens during his reign, not William.”
According to the Mail on Sunday, Meredith Maines, the Duke of Sussex’s chief of staff and communications director, flew from California to London recently to meet with the king’s communications secretary, Tobyn Andreae. Liam Maguire, who oversees U.K. press for Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, was also present.
KING CHARLES, PRINCE HARRY’S PAINFUL FEUD ‘DAMAGING’ MONARCH’S REIGN AS GUTTED SON REMAINS FURIOUS: EXPERT
Prince William, Prince of Wales, reacts before a UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Group D match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund July 9, 2025, in Zurich, Switzerland. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
The informal meeting was reportedly held at the Royal Over-Seas League, a private club located a short walk from Clarence House, the king’s London residence.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and Archewell, which handles the offices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for comment.
Prince Harry and his family have been living in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito, Calif., since 2022. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“It is a sign from King Charles that he wants peace with Harry and Meghan and to meet his grandchildren,” Turner claimed.
King Charles III listens during a Youth Opportunity Summit at St James’s Palace on July 15, 2025, in London. The king was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in 2024. (Aaron Chown/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital learned that Maines was in London to meet with the U.K.-based communications team, media, stakeholders and senior figures connected to Harry’s patronages. It’s understood that the visit was routine and part of ongoing planning and engagement.
A source told the Mail Sunday that the meeting was only the “first step towards reconciliation between Harry and his father, but at least it is a step in the right direction.”
WATCH: PRINCE HARRY, PRINCE WILLIAM NEED AN INTERVENTION TO END FEUD: EXPERT
“Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk,” the source added.
Prince Harry, right, told the BBC he’s ready to reconcile with his family. (Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams claimed to Fox News Digital that William, heir to the British throne, likely knew of the meeting but chose not to get his aides involved. Experts previously told Fox News Digital William and Harry are not on speaking terms.
“The king is still battling cancer and is in his late 70s,” said Fitzwilliams. “He wants a relationship with his grandchildren, whom he has hardly met. He is also temperamentally more accommodating than William. But [William] cannot trust the Sussexes. They must know it. The prospect of seeing the Sussexes at royal events would enrage the monarchy’s loyal supporters. … Of course, reconciliation is desirable [for the king]. It would, however, come at a price.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey in 2021. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals and moved to California in 2020, citing unbearable intrusions of the British press and a lack of support from the palace. After their exit, the couple aired grievances in interviews, documentaries and in Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare.”
Prince Harry’s memoir was published in 2023. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
In his book, Harry, 40, appears to be tormented by his status as a royal “spare” behind William, 43. He recounts a long-standing sibling rivalry that worsened after Harry began a relationship with Meghan, 43, whom he married in 2018.
“From a positive private family stance, some personal healing between father and son would be good,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. “King Charles will always love his son, and, in light of the king’s ongoing cancer treatment, it could help tidy up the messy fractured relationship.
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Royal experts claimed King Charles III wants a relationship with his grandchildren. (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
“King Charles is living with cancer, which makes his family situation very sad,” Chard noted. “I’m sure he is thinking about his mortality and reevaluating his life. He would not want a family feud tarnishing his positive contributions and memory. I’m sure he will also want to clear up unresolved issues or surprises that could lead to further resentment and conflict between his two sons.
King Charles III ascended to the throne in 2022. Prince William, his elder son, is heir to the throne. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“Life is too short for battles,” Chard continued. “However, without Prince William’s inclusion in the rapprochement, I can’t see a positive outcome. It could also cause a wedge between Charles and William despite the king most certainly consulting with William.”
But not everyone feels that way.
Prince William has been supporting his father, King Charles, who is battling cancer. (Kin Cheung/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“It was a good first step,” an insider told People magazine. “There’s optimism that it can be taken forward.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020. (Joshua Sammer/Getty Images for Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023)
According to the outlet, it’s not known whether Harry and Charles, 76, have spoken recently. In May, Harry told the BBC he wanted reconciliation but that his father wouldn’t speak to him. Sources previously told People the king wouldn’t respond to Harry’s letters or phone calls.
“I would love reconciliation with my family,” said Harry. “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
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Prince Harry claimed his father wouldn’t speak to him. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
But British royals expert Hilary Fordwich said she wasn’t buying the so-called peace summit.
Prince Harry and Prince William are reportedy not on speaking terms. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
“My instincts say that Harry is desperate,” Fordwich claimed. “And King Charles loves his son and wants to have a restored relationship. However, this tentative step in any fragile peace process was marred by the leak of the meeting’s details and photos. How on Earth was the media there?. … Both sides [have] expressed frustration regarding how such a leak jeopardizes the process, with now suspicions and distrust being resurrected.
“Prince William is likely viewing this leak as being true to form for the Sussexes,” Fordwich claimed. “It further reinforces his stance that any reconciliation or indeed dialogue with the Sussexes will become public.”
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is originally from California. She was an American actress before she married Prince Harry in 2018. (Mat Hayward/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
Chard also wondered how the details of what was supposed to be a private meeting became public so quickly.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with two of their children, at the Royal Box during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon July 13, 2025, in London. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
“The trust line seems to have been overstepped yet again,” Chard claimed. “The story broke as the Prince and Princess of Wales received glowing media attention at Wimbledon. This was promptly overshadowed by the leaked reconciliation story. … The PR machine is seemingly in full play. It wouldn’t surprise me if everything was filmed and will soon be featured in a new Netflix show.
“But … wouldn’t it be great if a fairytale reconciliation was in the cards or even a diplomatic agreement to disagree and move on?”
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Royal experts don’t believe a reconciliation between the battling brothers will happen anytime soon. ( Yui Mok/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Fitzwilliams previously told Fox News Digital William and Harry, once seemingly inseparable siblings, have “less in common than we imagined.”
Prince William and Prince Harry at the funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at Westminster Abbey, in 2022. (Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
“‘Spare’ made this pretty clear,” said Fitzwilliams. “Harry resented the way he was treated as a bit of a joker and the royal wild child. He was also traumatized by the death of his mother, and resentment about security issues stems directly from this. This was very clear in his angry interview recently on the BBC.
“William undoubtedly and rightly feels betrayed by Harry as [the interviews and memoir] were so damaging. At the heart of this is the fact that he feels he cannot trust his brother or Meghan ever again.”
Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.